Another rookie may have entered the frame to snap up the final Formula 1 race seat for 2025.
Roger Benoit, a veteran journalist for the Swiss newspaper Blick, is urging Audi-owned Sauber against inking another contract with Valtteri Bottas.
The Finnish driver finished dead last at Baku, with Benoit slamming the 34-year-old for being "barely motivated".
"But it was a pleasure to watch the new Williams driver Franco Colapinto from the start," Benoit insisted.
Indeed, Logan Sargeant’s replacement out-qualified the highly rated Alex Albon in only his second ever grand prix, before finishing P8 on Sunday.
However, 21-year-old Colapinto does not have a race seat beyond the 2024 season finale, as Carlos Sainz will be taking over his place at Williams next year.
The Argentine was asked about that by DAZN at the weekend and said of Sainz: "The truth is that I admire Carlos a lot and he got to where he is with a lot of effort.
"I know it was very difficult for him too," Colapinto added.
At the same time, he is determined to make the most of his opportunity to shine in the remaining races of the season. "It is a very important moment for me," said Colapinto.
"The confidence that James (Vowles) put in me, the opportunity he gave me, is something that I admire a lot. That he took a risk - that’s the reality - of changing drivers in the middle of the season. I want to show that he made the right choice."
As for journalist Benoit, he is hoping that Audi and Sauber bosses are now adding Colapinto’s name to their 2025 short-list alongside fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto.
"Colapinto will be on the market at the end of the season," he said, even though he is firmly contracted to Williams’ junior program. "He and Bortoleto must now be the duel for the second seat at Audi-Sauber.
"Unless Red Bull releases Liam Lawson in September."
As for Colapinto, he vowed to continue to try to impress the F1 paddock.
"I hope I’m showing what I can do and that I deserve a place in Formula 1," he told DAZN on Sunday.
"I have done very little driving in a Formula 1 car, so I think finishing in the points in my second race is something very positive and very good. We need to keep working, but it’s a good start."