Alpine, much like Red Bull, have become a team capable of bold driver changes mid-season. After just six rounds, they pulled the trigger to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto.
This swap, which was widely anticipated, was initially expected to be Alpine’s only driver change in 2025.
After all, the Enstone team spent millions to break Colapinto from his Williams contract to add him to their driver roster.
Alpine’s agreement with the Argentine is also a multi-year one, further highlighting their investment in his career.
Despite all of this, executive advisor Flavio Briatore has made clear that Colapinto must perform to keep his seat.
As it stands, the Italian is unimpressed with the 22-year-old’s form since returning to the grid.
A tough return to F1 for Franco Colapinto
Joining a team mid-season is never easy, especially in an era of F1 where testing is so restricted.
Although Colapinto completed plenty of laps with Alpine in previous cars (TPCs) earlier this year, he had no experience in this year’s A525 when he was promoted.
To make an already difficult situation worse, he crashed in the first weekend of his comeback, during qualifying for the Imola GP.
Aside from taking a hit to his confidence, this incident also resulted in hefty damage costs for Alpine.
Generally speaking, mistakes are normal for rookie drivers – who are given a grace period to adapt and acclimatise in Formula 1.
Isack Hadjar, for example, recovered quickly after his crash during the warm-up lap at the Australian GP.
However, the circumstances surrounding Colapinto’s appointment put him under more pressure than most rookies.
Flavio Briatore has no issue with making driver swaps if he is not satisfied with performance – Jack Doohan was the first casualty of this mentality in 2025.
Of course, Doohan was not especially performing badly when he lost his seat.
It was Briatore’s belief in Colapinto, evidenced by the Argentine’s multi-year contract, that meant Doohan was fighting a losing battle.
Briatore’s early analysis
At least so far, for a variety of reasons, Franco Colapinto has struggled to get up to speed.
Whilst judging someone after just three races (especially after being put in the car mid-season) is harsh, there is nothing forgiving about Briatore and his driver verdicts.
Even in a hyper-competitive midfield, he demands results.
The 74-year-old still believes in Colapinto’s potential, but he demands better performances.
“He crashed right away on the first race weekend,” he told Sky Germany.
“If I were to say I was happy, that would be a lie.
“I’m not happy at all. Now we’ll have to see how the season develops for him.
“Of course, we also have to recognise that Franco is very young and is under a lot of pressure from all directions, not just from Argentina.
“Now he’s gradually finding his feet. He’s driven in Monaco. He’s been in the factory and in the simulator.
“This is the first real race [the Spanish GP], where we’ll see what he can do. Franco is strong enough.
“In this job, you have to be able to regain your confidence as quickly as possible.
“So I hope he can do that quickly and get back on track.”
To be clear, the chances of Franco Colapinto losing his seat are very low.
Alpine certainly have enough drivers at their disposal, such as reserve Paul Aron, to make a change if they deem it necessary.
At the same time, another mid-season swap would add further uncertainty to their driver situation.
Colapinto still can’t sit comfortably, especially if he does not start fighting for points in the near future.
Sergio Perez, for example, has been linked with the Enstone team in recent months.
Still, Colapinto should at least have more breathing space than his predecessor.
Main photo: Steven Tee/LAT Images (via Alpine media gallery)
