Franco Colapinto is expected to continue racing with Alpine in Formula 1 past his original five-race deal that will conclude after this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Rookie Jack Doohan was relegated to the sidelines six rounds into the 2025 season to allow Alpine to test Colapinto in the team’s race seat alongside Pierre Gasly.
Having impressed driving for Williams in a nine-race cameo last season, the Argentinian, initially signed as the team’s reserve driver, was given his F1 debut at Imola.
Colapinto was issued five races to prove his worth, though Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore, who was instrumental to the deal, later denied that to be the case.
It is believed Alpine has opted to continue with Colapinto in the A525, with the 22-year-old set to drive at the British Grand Prix – where he made his FP1 debut in 2024.
“To be doing my first FP1 with the team and doing a good job there next to Alex [Albon] was really good for my future and probably what put me in that situation to jump in later in the year,” he told media including Motorsport Week, while talking about the upcoming race in Silverstone.
“It was a very important weekend, and to be able to have that comparison now in the same track I’ve been driving the Williams last year, it’s good.
“It’s a bit more knowledge, a bit more experience. It obviously comes easier as well when you already drove an F1 at that track.
“You don’t get that shock of speed. So, yeah, looking forward to Silverstone, too, it’s a great track, full of high-speed, and I love driving there.”
Why Alpine decided to stick with Colapinto
While Colapinto’s first four outings with Alpine have been point-less, the Argentinian has put in a lot of time and effort to assimilate himself with the squad back at the factory.
It is suggested that the ex-Williams driver’s potential to succeed with the team is greater than that of his predecessor and will come to light once he has settled in at Enstone.
To that end, Alpine has started working with him to fine-tune and optimise his race weekends right from Friday practice onwards.
“We are really focusing on Friday, having a good day, starting with a base and with a car that we think works and trying to take the positive things that we found the last couple of races and bring them to here,” he explained.
Going into the Austrian GP, Colapinto is keen to carry the momentum on from Canada, where he out-qualified his more experienced team-mate for the first time.
“In general just to be good in Canada on that Saturday, it brought good things for us, it brought good understandings, and we’re just trying to keep working hard and trying to understand which direction we have to go in,” he asserted.
“But the car is feeling better, just more connected and I’m more comfortable in the Alpine. It’s good news, just trying to bring it in from Canada to here.”
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