Franco Colapinto is expected to continue racing for the Alpine team, even after the Austrian Grand Prix. When the Argentine took over Jack Doohan’s seat in May, the team publicly announced that he would have five Grand Prix races to prove himself. After the race weekend in Spielberg, that period has ended. So far, Colapinto has made little impression on behalf of Alpine, although he may need a bit more time to develop within the French racing stable.
After six pointless Grand Prix races and several costly crashes, Alpine was relentless with rookie Jack Doohan. After the Miami Grand Prix, the young Australian was replaced by test and reserve driver Franco Colapinto. The Argentine had shown promising things at Williams in 2024, although he too had several expensive crashes. Therefore, Alpine made it clear at the time that he had signed a contract for five races, after which the team would re-evaluate the options. Top advisor Flavio Briatore later denied this.
Alpine is expected to have chosen to continue with Colapinto even after the Austrian Grand Prix. As a result, the 22-year-old driver will also be in action during the British Grand Prix. In 2024, he made his Formula 1 debut on the same circuit during a free practice session with Williams. “That first training session and the fact that I performed well alongside Alex Albon was really important for my future,” Colapinto told the media in Spielberg. “That was probably also the reason why I was allowed to join the team later.”
Heading to Silverstone
“It was a very important weekend, and it’s good that I can now make that comparison on the same circuit,” he continued, referring to the fact that he will be driving the Alpine car at Silverstone. “I have a bit more knowledge, a bit more experience. Of course, it’s also beneficial if you’ve already raced a Grand Prix on a particular circuit. The shock of the speed is less intense. So yes, I’m looking forward to Silverstone. It’s a fantastic circuit, full of high speeds, and I love driving there.”
Although Colapinto finished outside the points in his first four races for Alpine, he has invested a lot of time and effort in getting familiar with the team. Once he gets more time to settle in at Enstone, he could achieve better results. “We are really focusing on Friday now,” he explained. “We just want to start with a good basic setup and a car that we think works, and try to carry over the positive things we’ve discovered in the past races to here.”
