This trend has continued this season, with Colapinto replacing Doohan after just a handful of races.<\/p>\n
Despite his agreement with Alpine being a long-term deal, there is still uncertainty about Colapinto’s future at the team.<\/p>\n Rock bottom in the standings, this has been a year to forget for Alpine.<\/p>\n Away from the track, constant changes to senior positions – most notably team principals<\/a> – have been a destabilising force at Enstone.<\/p>\n In less than twelve months, Pierre Gasly has seen three different drivers on the opposite side of the garage.<\/p>\n Despite all these swaps, the Frenchman’s teammate for 2026 remains in doubt.<\/p>\n Colapinto currently occupies Alpine’s second seat, which he seemed certain to take after signing a multi-year agreement<\/a> with the team in January – albeit initially as a reserve driver.<\/p>\n Still, the implication from this contract was that Colapinto would eventually become a full-time driver.<\/p>\n The immense pressure on Jack Doohan<\/a>, and his subsequent replacement, ultimately validated this suspicion.<\/p>\n Since joining the team, Colapinto has experienced several obstacles that have made his F1 comeback somewhat uncomfortable.<\/p>\n With no points to his name, even in the worst car this year, the 22-year-old is targeting a strong end to the season<\/a>:<\/p>\n “I’m just focusing on myself and trying my best,” <\/em>he told the media today.<\/p>\n “Of course there is a lot of work to do with the team, and we are working hard to get all the performance out of the car – and that’s our goal.<\/em><\/p>\n “It’s great to have Valtteri [Bottas] and Checo [Perez] back in F1 as well, so I wish them the best.<\/em><\/p>\n “Hopefully we can have a good last 10 races, it’s our focus and our goal is to maximise the car.”<\/em><\/p>\n At first glance, none of Colapinto’s results this year have been especially convincing.<\/p>\n Then again, considering the A525’s performance, this is not something the Argentine can be blamed for.<\/p>\n Relative to teammate Pierre Gasly, Colapinto has shown reasonable pace – especially on race day.<\/p>\n Given the difference in experience between these drivers, their performance gap has not been very significant.<\/p>\n When adding this to the fact Colapinto had no pre-season with the team, he deserves some grace for some of his incidents.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for the 22-year-old, he is unlikely to receive much forgiveness from Flavio Briatore<\/a> if he makes unnecessary errors.<\/p>\n Ideally, points are the objective for both Alpine drivers in the remainder of 2025.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/BWT-Alpine-Formula-One-Team-Grand-Prix-de-Belgique-de-Formule-1-2025-dimanche-1024x660.jpg\")
Colapinto focused on strong execution<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/12\/2025\/08\/BWT-Alpine-Formula-One-Team-Grand-Prix-de-Hongrie-de-Formule-1-2025-dimanche-1-1024x682.jpg\")
Avoiding major errors is critical<\/h4>\n