Franco Colapinto has revealed that he will need more than the five-race window that Alpine has given him to maximise the potential of the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car.
Colapinto has been parachuted into a race seat at Alpine six rounds into the ongoing season at the expense of Jack Doohan, who has been demoted to a reserve role.
Alpine’s decision to make the change has been met with scathing criticism elsewhere in the paddock, with multiple drivers adamant that Doohan deserved more time.
But while he recognised his return to the grid has come in unideal circumstances, Colapinto, who made nine starts with Williams in 2024, is eager to seize the chance.
“I’m really excited,” Colapinto told media including Motorsport Week prior to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. “Everything is new again. We start from zero.
“Of course, it wasn’t the nicest, after the last nine races of the last year, having to step out.
“It was not what I wanted, but it was a good time to reflect on what happened last year and to learn from it. So, happy to be back.
“Of course, never nice circumstances when it happens like this, when you step in another driver’s seat.
“But you never really choose the moment you’re in Formula 1. I just take it, try to do my best and try to maximise for the team to do a good job.”
Colapinto reticent on Alpine targets
Colapinto has been handed an initial five races to stake his claim to the seat, but he was reticent on whether the team has presented certain targets to retain the spot.
“I think as a driver, of course, I’m just trying to go step by step,” he explained. “I don’t really know the car. So, a lot of new things coming.
“I just want to do the basics right and then the results are going to come. I’m not really expecting any kind of result.
“I think the performance of the teams are so tight that they’re changing from track to track, depending on which one is stronger for each.
“So, at the end, I think, until FP1 and FP2, we don’t really have a clear view of where we are at. So, still working a lot with the team.
“The main goal for us is to make the car quicker as well.
“We need to find a bit of performance and I think that’s going to come with a lot of work from me and Pierre [Gasly].
“So, that’s the main goal, to try and improve a bit the performance. And then, of course, after these five races, we will see what happens.”
Colapinto admits to race against time at Alpine
However, Colapinto has admitted Alpine’s prescribed deadline to re-evaluate the situation won’t provide him with sufficient time to show his true potential in the A525.
Asked how he will go about avoiding overdriving and making mistakes as he seeks to prove his worth, Colapinto pondered: “We will see once I drive.
“But I have a great opportunity ahead. I’m happy to be back in F1.
“I don’t even think about the five races. I’m just in a happy place and I’m dealing with it very well, I think, at the moment. I just want to get back in the seat and drive.
“Of course, after you heard Carlos [Sainz] saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to the car, I think five is not enough for me, if I even drove for nine in all my life in F1.
“Yeah, it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five, to get up to speed and maximise everything out of the car.
“But it is what I have. I just want to maximise it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team.”
READ MORE – Alpine F1 car set to remain unchanged for Franco Colapinto’s debut at Imola
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la1nr3