Alex Albon has urged erstwhile Williams team-mate Franco Colapinto to “ignore” that he has been given an initial five rounds to prove his worth to Alpine in Formula 1.
Alpine announced last week that Jack Doohan had been demoted a mere six rounds into the campaign to allow Colapinto to step into the seat alongside Pierre Gasly.
There had been speculation circulating since the season began that Doohan was on borrowed time, and an opening-lap collision in Miami proved to be the final straw.
Albon, who experienced a whole season on the sidelines in 2021 after Red Bull dumped him, believes Alpine’s decision to swap drivers this early in 2025 is premature.
“Yeah, I feel sorry for him,” Albon told media including Motorsport Week at Imola. “I don’t know him that well, but he’s obviously not had much time to prove himself.
“I think he deserved a bit more time, for sure.
“Yeah, it’s a tricky one. I’m not sure what was the wording around the whole situation and what is it, five races? Let’s see. But yeah, not great.”
Albon backs Colapinto to thrive at Alpine
But as Albon mentioned, Colapinto’s position isn’t certain as Alpine has communicated an intention to re-evaluate the situation once another five rounds have passed.
The Argentine, though, starred when he was placed in the Williams seat beside Albon with nine races remaining last year, scoring points on his second outing in Baku.
“I know Franco. Great for him to get an opportunity, of course,” Albon added. “It’s one of them ones where it’s a bit, you know, you definitely feel for one.
“And at the same time, you know that Franco’s going to, I think, do a fairly good job. I think he’s very talented.
“He’ll take a bit of time to get up to speed, for sure. But at the same time, he didn’t take that much time at Williams. So, yeah, I think he’ll be OK.”
Albon’s advice to Colapinto
Albon has advised Colapinto to disregard the deadline Alpine has imposed, citing that he will be more susceptible to errors should that be at the forefront of his mind.
“Yeah, I think for him, it’s more about ignoring the five-race quota, let’s say,” the Anglo-Thai driver assessed.
“Yeah, I think it’s easy to start making mistakes and overdriving and whatnot.
“You’ve just got to give yourself a bit of time to settle in. So, yes, it’s obviously a short time, but I think he’ll manage it just fine.”
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