29/08/2025 15:45
Franco Colapinto's future with the Alpine F1 team appears to be in
doubt following fierce criticism from Flavio Briatore. Colapinto
was drafted in to replace Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix,
having joined from Williams as a reserve driver at the start of the
year, but thus far, the Argentine has struggled alongside Pierre
Gasly. He has failed to match the three tests Briatore set for him
in driving fast, scoring points and not crashing, with a best
finish of 13th in Monaco and Canada. Under F1 rules, Alpine is
allowed to make one more driver change in 2025, with each team
permitted four drivers per season, with Briatore firmly declaring
that Colapinto's performances were "not what I expected." "I've
seen everything already, so I don't think I need to see anything
more," Briatore told media , including RacingNews365. "I think for
this driver, it is very difficult to cope with this car as they are
very, very heavy and very, very quick for a young driver in Formula
1. "Maybe it was not the [right] timing to have Franco in Formula
1, and maybe he needs another year to be part of F1. "I'm not
happy with the result ; this is what is important, and he tries
very hard, we try very hard with the engineering [team], but it is
not what I expected from Colapinto." The article continues below.
Briatore doubtful about Colapinto When then asked if there would be
another driver swap mid-season, Briatore appeared to show mercy for
his struggles, but raised doubts about Colapinto's future with the
team. "We changed Doohan with Colapinto, and maybe Colapinto had
the same problem - too much pressure to be in F1," he said. "Last
year, he had two or three good races, but maybe to be in the team
with a good driver like Pierre, and always to be in competition
with him, maybe we put too much pressure on him. "I think we need
to consider that the driver is a human being, and we need time to
understand exactly what is going on in the head of these kids,
because they are young kids. "[They are] 19-23, and I think one of
our mistakes is underestimating the human part of the driver. "We
are always looking for the timing, and maybe I missed something in
the management of Colapinto, but as for the future, honestly, I
don't know."
