Who is F1's latest rookie, Franco Colapinto?

With nine rounds of the 2024 Formula One World Championship remaining, the Grove-based outfit made the brave decision to replace the underperforming Sargeant to partner Alexander Albon.

Sargeant was markedly down on pace compared to his Thai-British teammate, and was prone to accidents which stretched Williams' already limited budget thin. His major crash during FP3 at the Dutch Grand Prix was the final nail in the coffin for the American driver.

Team Principal James Vowles sought the services of Liam Lawson and Mick Schumacher of the Red Bull and Mercedes camps respectively, but ultimately settled on Test driver Franco Colapinto.

The 21-year-old took part in the 2023 post-season test around the Yas Marina Circuit, and took Sargeant's seat during the first practice session of the British Grand Prix earlier this year. Now, Colapinto has taken Sargeant's seat for the rest of the year. What has been the Argentinian's road to the pinnacle of open-wheel motorsport?

Colapinto enjoyed a prolific karting career, winning five different Championships in just three years. He even won a karting race at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, not something a lot of drivers can say they have achieved.

The youngster's success continued into single-seater racing, where he won the 2019 F4 Spanish Championship with 11 wins in 21 races. Colapinto subsequently moved up to Formula Renault Eurocup the following year, ending the season in third behind current F2 racer Victor Martins and Caio Collet. He also finished P3 in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series, with only Igor Fraga and Lawson ahead of him in the Standings.

2021 was a busy year for Colapinto, as he competed in the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) while also dabbling in some endurance racing on the side. Sixth was a solid year-end result for the Argentinian, finishing ahead of well-known talents including Gabriele Mini, Gabriel Bortoleto and Oliver Goethe.

He then spent two years in FIA Formula 3, winning two races in both 2022 and 2023 and finishing ninth and fourth in the Drivers' Championship respectively. With his promotion to F1 Colapinto will be forced to abandon his F2 season, though he was looking like a possible Title contender with a race win and sixth in the Standings.

There have been a total of 25 drivers from Argentina in the history of F1, though Colapinto has become the first from the nation in the series since Gaston Mazzacane's forgettable 21 races with Minardi and Prost from 2000 to 2001.

Chief of Argentina's F1 success has come courtesy of Juan Manuel Fangio, who with five Drivers' Titles and 24 wins in just 51 starts in the 1950s is one of the greatest drivers in any category to have ever lived. Carlos Reutemann was a brilliant driver too, with 12 victories for the likes of Brabham, Ferrari and Williams.

Whether Colapinto can hold a candle to his compatriot F1 drivers remains to be seen. But he will undoubtedly have his work cut out for the remainder of the year to enter the considerations of the teams in future seasons.

Colapinto will race at the upcoming Italian Grand Prix, which commences Sunday 1 September at 14:00 BST (15:00 local time).