FRANCO COLAPINTO: Did he do well when he went to Alpine and leave Williams?

Franco Colapinto moved from Williams to Alpine, apparently, to cover the same role: reserve pilot, but why the Argentine decision may be, or not, the right one.
Franco Colapint He moved in 2025 of Williams to Alpineapparently, to cover the same role: reserve pilot, but why the Argentine decision may be, or not, the correct one in terms of its immediate future in the Formula 1.
Did Franco Colapint do well to leave Grove to go to Estone? What motivations could have? Let’s dissect the matter.
After supplying Logan Sargeant During the last nine races of the 2024 season of the F1, Colapint Red Bull He asked Williams about the details of his contract.
Beyond that Red Bull got off the bid for the 21 -year -old Argentine, according to them, due to the strong accidents he suffered, especially in Las Vegas, it was clear that the F1 needed Collapint 2025.
At the time Colapinto touched the market, all the 2025 grid seats had a name and surname and, although eventually Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez It caused decline in Red Bull and his place was occupied by the Neozeandés Liam LawsonFranco’s agents (María Catarineu and James Campbell-Walter of Bullet Sports Management) worked hard to take the steps that most agreed to the future of the Buenos Aires flyer.
His first option and more logical was to stay in Williams, a team that gave him the opportunity, as a pilot reserves, waiting for Alex Albon either Carlos Sainz They will leave the team for the reason it was.
The Sainz-Albon duo looks, on paper, very solid and competitive, although the Anglo-Tailandés did not see it so strong when Colapinto supplied the American Sargeant and made him see outside his comfort zone.
Both pilots have multiannual contracts that link them to Williams beyond 2026 and that is a lot of waiting for Colapinto.
On the other hand, the charismatic, fast and very promising Argentine was meant as a valuable asset for Williams. A great immediate talent, supported by good sponsors, an entire country of followers eager to consume their merchandise and imag of audiences was valued between 15 and 20 million dollars, if any team wanted to buy their contract.
What Collapinto wanted was to run and in Williams it did not seem that that could happen in 2025 and only a lousy season of Albon, weaker link in the team, could give him some hope in 2026.
Alex Albon is a reliable, fast and hardwork Max Verstappen.
Obviously, Verstappen is a coequipper destroyer and did it before with Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly And then with Czech Pérez and maybe he does it like Lawson, but Albon, as we said he saw himself as a number one pilot when he had Nicolas Latifi or Lawson aside, but he was no longer so categorical when Colapint arrived.
Sainz, on the other hand, is a competitive animal and a team player. Where he has been produced great work relationships, it is possible to remember his harmony with Lando Norris In McLaren (the famous duo ‘Carlando’) and the one he did in Ferrari with Charles Leclercbut beyond his great gift of people and charisma, he showed that he could respond in results, equally, before powerful coequiperos.
Given this, it would not be uncommon for the Spanish, son of the legend of ralism and who has forged a name for himself in the world of motoring, greatly exceeds Albon, who seems to break before the slightest pressure.
That could have caused a pilot change in Williams, more James Vowles as main team.
Now, that is a possible scenario, but the other was, and that in the end it was what happened, that Franco pursued the best opportunity available to get into an F1 seat as soon as possible.
Doohan is the weakest of the pack
If the F1 grill were a herd of sheep and a wolf would look for the most vulnerable dam to attack, that would be Jack Doohan, that is clear.
The 22 -year -old Australian was promoted as a replacement for Esteban Ocon In the Alpine team, once it was decided that the Frenchman should no longer continue. But this was decided in June, then the team changed chief when Oliver Oakes arrived and leave Bruno Famine and confirmed Doohan as a substitute on August 23, just a weekend before Franco Colapinto debuted with Williams.
Oakes’ decision and the very important advisor Flavio Briatore To give Doohan the opportunity, it happened when nobody knew what Colapinto showed, but once the Argentine dazzled with his work in Monza, Baku and Singapore, surely Okes and Briatore regretted having promoted Doohan so soon.
According to publications in Europe, Doohan is in a kind of trial period, and although Oakes said he supported him, he apparently has six careers insured in 2025 and his permanence depends on his performance.
The other seat is very solid with Pierre Gasly, who in two years has grown as a pilot and is the bet of the French squad that, to increase its possibilities of competing with McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes, will stop using power units Renault and will be a client of German motorists.
That is the bet of collapint, that Doohan does not give the wide, that causes doubts and that, added to BriTore’s anxiety to put his ‘idea’ at the steering wheel of the alpine car provoke that Franco relieves the Australian in Miami or very close to That Grand Prize.
Briatore, architect of the career of Michael Schumacher, the success of Benneton and Renault in F1, is still the agent of Fernando Alonso, who in turn knows Colapint well since his company “A14” managed it in F4, so If the points join, the drawing is successful.
But what will happen if Jack Doohan meets the expectations? Colapint will continue on the bench. What if Alpine’s improvement in the late 2024 was only mirage and sink into the grill, while Williams becomes the best of the rest in the F1?
These albures will have contemplated the Argentine, no one can know what will happen in the last year of the current regulation of monoplays and much less who will be the winner when the new series of rules is launched in 2026. What is, at least Apparently, more clearly, between Albon and Doohan, Jack looks like the weakest rival and the thinnest of the thread on the grill.
It must also be remembered that Alpine invested a lot of money in buying, at least for five years, the fate of Colapint While Doohan is a pilot who comes from the team academy and whose contract is much lighter and simple to break.
Franco Colapint’s potential is huge, is the new jewel of Latin American motoring and, together with Gabriel Bortoleto, the hope of the continent in F1. Every step of the Argentine is vital. Now he opted for Alpine and hopefully the shot was on the right side. Today, his decision seems the best, but time will say the last word.