Williams junior Franco Colapinto will make the step up to Formula 2 for the season finale in Abu Dhabi and will compete in the series full-time with MP Motorsport in 2024.

Colapinto has picked up four race wins, five pole positions and 10 podiums over the course of his two-year Formula 3 stint which began with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2022.

The 20-year-old made the switch to MP Motorsport for this year, picking up points in 14 out of 18 rounds this year to be rewarded with fourth place in the standings.

“I am very excited and grateful for this opportunity,” Colapinto said following the announcement.

“We’ve been working really hard to secure a seat in F2 so this is a dream come true. To be able to do it with MP Motorsport makes it even more special.

“Thanks to Sander and Henk [at MP Motorsport] for their trust and continuing to support me. Being part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy this past year has been an incredible experience and I can’t wait to jump into my F2 car in Abu Dhabi.”

“MP are proven race winners in the category, and staying with them feels absolutely right. It’s a familiar atmosphere for me, and it will be to our advantage that we know each other so well as I enter my debut season in the category.

“I very much look forward to the fresh challenge of a new series, with a brand new car to help develop. I can’t wait to get in the car in Abu Dhabi and then work with the team to be ready for a long and challenging 2024 season.”

With Jehan Daruvala and Dennis Hauger currently occupying race seats with the team, it is not yet clear which driver will step aside to make space for the incoming Argentinian.

However, it has already been confirmed that Daruvala will depart F2 to compete in the upcoming 2023/24 Formula E season, where testing has recently commenced.

“It’s great news that we are able to announce Franco’s promotion to our F2 team so early” said MP Motorsport Team Principal Sander Dorsman.

“This will give us a headstart in our preparations for an exciting 2024 F2 season in which we all start from zero, with the new F2 car offering everyone a new baseline to work from.

“Retaining Franco helps us to maintain stability in that transition, apart from the fact that he’s become a member of the MP family and is an extremely quick and talented driver.”

Franco Colapinto has won a frenzied FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race from Silverstone, which took place in mixed conditions.

The start of the race was in fully dry conditions, however there was a threat of rain in the air. Sebastian Montoya held onto the lead from pole position, by Jonny Edgar slumped down the order after starting on the front row.

Championship leader Gabriel Bortoleto moved up two places to sixth and set after Gabriele Mini for fifth – on lap seven, he completed the move.

On the next lap however, drivers had more to think about as rain started pelting the circuit, forcing Race Control to intervene with a Safety Car.

A number of drivers made pit stops for wet tyres, however there was belief amongst the teams that the rain would only last for a handful of minutes.

At the restart, which took place on lap 13, the top 10 drivers were on slick tyres while the other 20 in the field had wet tyres fitted.

Montoya’s hopes of retaining the lead on the slick tyre didn’t last long as he spun at the first corner and dropped all the way down to 18th place.

Colapinto inherited the lead and was tasked with keeping his car on the track while rivals behind made progress on their wet tyres.

But in the latter stages of the race, the dry tyres became the more favourable and it was the wet tyre runners that were forced to hang on.

Colapinto bagged his first race win of the year, crossing the line ahead of Bortoleto, who extends his lead in the Drivers’ Championship with his fifth podium of the season.

Christian Mansell secured his first career podium in F3, producing a solid defence on Caio Collet on the final lap.

Gabriele Mini was fifth, ahead of Hugh Barter and Leonardo Fornaroli, who will start Sunday’s Feature Race from pole position.

Montoya recovered to eighth after losing the lead earlier in the race, crossing the line ahead of Ido Cohen.

Pepe Marti took the final point on offer, and was the only driver on the wet weather tyres to finish inside the top 10.

Franco Colapinto has been stripped of victory in the Formula 3 Sprint Race in Australia after the stewards identified a technical infringement on his car.

The Argentine driver survived an eventful race at the Albert Park Circuit to take his first win of the 2023 season from sixth on the grid.

However, the MP Motorsport racer has now lost the win following the discovery that pieces of bodywork on his car were found to be outside of the regulatory limits.

MP Motorsport’s other two representatives in the session – Mari Boya and Jonny Edgar – have also been disqualified for the same technical infringement.

Colapinto’s removal from the race classification hands the win to PREMA’s Zak O’Sullivan, who had completed a late race pass on reverse grid polesitter Sebastian Montoya to cross the line in second position.

Montoya’s Hitech is promoted up from third to second, with Paul Aron inheriting a podium place.

Franco Colapinto won the first race of the Formula 3 weekend from Melbourne, a race that saw four Safety Car interventions.

Colapinto started the race from sixth on the grid but kept his nose clean in the opening laps to move forward and place himself in a strong position.

Ahead of him, Oliver Goethe, who started from second place, retired on the opening lap after making contact with Luke Browning. The incident would be the first of many involving Browning, who was in for a difficult day.

The first Safety Car was deployed to deal with Goethe’s stricken Trident, and when it came back into the pit lane, Browning set off in chase of Sebastian Montoya, who was leading.

However, at Turn 11, Browning mounted the kerb and dropped down the order, with Colapinto capitalising to move into second place.

On the next lap, Colapinto seized his opportunity and moved ahead of Montoya at Turn 9 for the lead, a position that he would not relinquish before the end of the race.

Moments after Colapinto’s race-winning overtake, Ido Cohen brought out a second Safety Car after making contact with Hugh Barter on the run up to Turn 11.

A lengthy delay followed while the debris was clear, but soon after the Mercedes-AMG Safety Car returned to the pit lane, it was back out when local driver Tommy Smith ran too wide out of the final corner and hit the wall.

A late dash to the finish was on the cards, with Zak O’Sullivan making the most of the opportunity to move in front of Sebastian Montoya for second place. 

The race finished under a Safety Car when Alejandro Garcia was pitched into the wall on the penultimate lap.

Outside of the top three, Paul Aron was fourth after a last-lap battle with team-mate Dino Beganovic, who classified in sixth behind Gabriele Mini.

Sunday’s Feature Race pole-sitter Gabriel Bortoleto was seventh, ahead of Trident team-mate Leonardo Fornaroli.

Mari Boya and Gregore Saucy rounded out the top 10.

Williams has announced the signing of Franco Colapinto to its junior programme for the 2023 season.

Colapinto spent the 2022 campaign racing his rookie season in FIA Formula 3, competing for Van Amersfoort Racing and finishing ninth in the standings.

Colapinto will remain in F3 this year, making the switch to MP Motorsport.

Williams says that Colapinto will be working with the team both trackside and at the factory, collaborating with various departments to build his experience.

This will include work in the F1 simulator to aid the development of Williams’ 2023 F1 car.

“It’s a real honour to join Williams Racing Team as an Academy Driver,” Colapinto said. 

“They are one of the most successful teams in Formula 1 history and I am looking forward to following in the footsteps of my fellow countryman Carlos Reutemann. 

“It’s an incredible opportunity for which I am forever grateful. Thanks to everyone at Williams for putting their trust in me.  

“I am also excited to announce that I will be back with MP Motorsport for the 2023 FIA F3 season. I really enjoyed my time with the team in Eurocup and FRECA and we achieved some great results together. 

“The goal is to reach even higher this time. My first year in FIA F3 was all about learning and I will use all the knowledge I’ve gathered to aim for the title next year.”

Williams has several drivers in its academy, the most lucrative being Logan Sargeant, who will race for it full-time in F1 this year.

Jamie Chadwick, Roy Nissany, Zak O’Sullivan and Oliver Gray also hold positions in the programme.

Sven Smeets, Williams’ Sporting Director, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Franco to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. 

“His career achievements since starting karting highlight Franco’s natural ability behind the wheel and what he’s capable of in the years to come. 

“He had a standout rookie season in Formula 3 with several strong performances that led to podiums and wins. We look forward to working closely with Franco to support and nurture his development as a driver.”