Franco Colapinto and his path with Alpine in 2025

The Argentine struggled a lot against an unruly team and it was difficult for him to find consistency in a year in which he became the starter on the seventh date. The confirmation of continuity in 2026 is the ideal balm for the last four races of the year.

When on January 9 Alpine announced the arrival of Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver for the 2025 season, Jack Doohan’s fate was set.. The brilliant appearance of the Argentine on the 2024 Formula 1 grid with Williams, to replace Logan Sargeant, had made noise in the paddock. His great performances in his first five races, with points scored in Azerbaijan and the United States, generated interest in the teams, but then came the strong blows of Brazil (2) and Las Vegas and the hype around him died down.

But Flavio Briatore appeared, excited by the Argentine’s level in those five competitions and by the great economic contribution he brings, and he went in search of him.. As soon as he was confirmed as a substitute, speculation began about when he would be anointed as a starter to replace the Australian. Finally, Doohan fell out of favor after the Miami GP and for Emilia-Romagna, seventh date, Colapinto was already a starter.

“Don’t crash, score points and be fast” were the commandments imposed by Briatore on the Buenos Aires native. The start was just the opposite. He had an accident in qualifying at Imola and it was difficult for him to have speed. Points, a matter from another world for Alpine. The Argentine got on the A525 with some laps on a 2023 car in the TPC tests and a lot of simulator. But the reality was different and Franco had a hard time finding his rhythm. He had some sparks, but he lacked consistency, something key.

Nor was Alpine’s path in the year a bed of roses. By far, the worst team in terms of results and pace. He only scored 20 points in 20 races, all thanks to Pierre Gasly, and upon arriving in Mexico, he had accumulated seven Grand Prix without scoring. Briatore made a risky bet: he scrapped the 2025 season and bet every second of his work at Enstone on the development of the 2026 car, which will arrive under the new regulations. The Piedmontese recognized that he had been wrong to think that everyone would do the same… Alpine was the only one. Without any updates in between, as the races progressed the chronic ills of the A525 became more pronounced and in the Hermanos Rodríguez they both finished in the last two places among those who finished the race and 37 seconds behind the closest. The year was a total debacle.

The inconveniences were not only the lack of power of the Renault engine (next year they will use Mercedes), they also suffered with a very rigid car that generated aerodynamic problems (if it softens it loses charge) and traction problems. A lethal combo. To make matters worse, in the middle part of the season they suffered with the preparation of the cars, a situation evident in the brake discs that had to be changed in Colapinto’s car in the middle of the Canadian grid. the box that did not allow the Argentine to start in Great Britain and the water leak in Gasly’s A525 that left the Frenchman without participating in the Belgian sprint.

In that context, The competitiveness was barely indoors. After seven weekends and six complex races (he did not compete in Silverstone), Colapinto clicked in Hungary. His performances were already generating buzz around him and speculation was accumulating about possible replacements for his position: Checo Pérez, Mick Schumacher, Paul Aron, Valtteri Bottas, Yuki Tsunoda and even the return of Doohan. But at the Hungaroring, just before the holiday break, Franco made the jump. There he beat Gasly in qualifying and the race, but, most importantly, he found consistency and rhythm. Always, of course, in the weak Alpine.

Colapinto is the only driver on the current grid who did not score points in 2025 and it will be very difficult for him to get out of zero in the four remaining dates. In any case, his rhythm strengthened and he beat Gasly in several situations. With his marked improvement, Briatore went from saying “I’m not happy if you look at the results, which are what’s important. He tries very hard. We try very hard with the engineering team to please him in everything, but it’s really not what I expect from Colapinto”, which he said before the Netherlands, to making the decision to lower the hammer to be the one chosen to accompany the Frenchman. Key, of course, was the continuity of the financial contribution that comes from the Buenos Aires sponsors. And it’s not bad, many times in Argentina people cried about lost chances due to lack of money (José María López is a clear case).

Colapinto’s last storm in Alpine was experienced in the United States, when he disobeyed the direct order to maintain positions and decided to overtake Gasly. As a result, the Argentinian had to listen to the priests, Apologize to everyone on the team and mark the court: the orders are followed. Already in Mexico he had a similar situation and remained in his position.

Colapinto arrives in Brazil with confirmation of his continuity for 2026. It is the first time in many years that Franco will arrive at the end of a season with everything arranged for the next. The challenges for next year will be different. For now, he will have four races left with the A525, with the peace of mind of having his seat tied, and with the intention of trying to get something out of a car that Alpine no longer wants to see anymore.