Franco Colapinto returns to F1: he will run in Icola!

ByDavid Mitchell
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Alpine confirmed that the Argentine pilot will replace Jack Doohan from the Emilia-Romagna GP, which will be played at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Autodrome on May 18.

Rumors, noise and speculation were over: Franco Colapinto returns to Formula 1. The Alpine team announced that the Argentine, who held the Pilot Reserve position, will occupy the Jack Doohan armchair from the seventh date of the 76th World Cup exercise, which will be played in Isola on May 18. The Australian formed a pair with Pierre Gasly in the first six races of the year and, after the Miami GP on the last Sunday, the Popes of the Estanone team decided to make the change.

The French team clarified in its publication that the Buenos Aires will be a titular pilot for a period of five major awards. This includes the triplet of consecutive weekends of Icola, Monaco and Barcelona, ​​more Canada and Austria. Spielberg’s competition is scheduled for June 29 and will be date 11 of the season. At that point an evaluation of the work of Colapinto and Alpine will be carried out will determine who will be at the wheel of the A525 for the GP of Great Britain of July 6. In turn, Alpine announced that Doohan will continue to be part of the team as a reserve.

Alpine made the announcement this Wednesday at 8 Time in England (four hours less in Argentina). At that same time, in the Netherlands it was 9 and the A523, a 2023 model, was launched, with which the French team began its second TPC test day (ancient models) in which the Argentine was expected to add kilometers before the debut. On Tuesday the Japanese Miyata rhythm, F2 pilot.

The runrún about a possible change of runners in Alpine flooded the race in the state of Florida. Especially after YPF CEO was a victim of a microphone on after an A24 interview and “Imola” was heard before the consultation on the return to the Argentine tracks. Horacio Marín, the Pope of the oil company that sponsored Colapinto, would then clarify that it was an expression of desire and not information. But his phrase reached Miami and Oliver Oakes, director of Alpine, picked up the glove and said: “I know about the interview with the CEO of an Argentine company. As a team we know that Jack and Pierre are the pilots,” he said. Flavio Briatore, executive advisor of the team, also spoke before the Miamense race about which role the ex-Williams would occupy in Imala: “It will be reservation, reserve, reservation.”

However, everything changed. Or, probably, the determination was taken and was not going to be made public before Doohan faced the Miami race. The Australian results did not form Alpine’s popes and decided the change. The Son of the Pentacampeón of Motorcycling in 500cc arrived in Alpine in 2022 to be part of the Talent Development Program and, after the departure of Esteban Ocon in the penultimate appointment of 2024, he was promoted to headline.

The pressure on Doohan was almost immediate, because in January Alpine announced the arrival of Colapinto as a reserve pilot. Since then, the Australian suffered with the possibility of being removed, especially because the Argentine arrived from the hand of Briatore, an unscrupulous character. The Australian showed a good rhythm on a return and his times were very even with those of Gasly, in fact, Jack beat Pierre in the Miami. But the rhythm in the race was Doohan’s Achilles heel and his departure sentence in favor of the Argentine.

Colapint debuted in F1 with Williams in the GP of Italy last year in replacement of Logan Sargeant and played the last nine races. His beginning was really excellent, with very few kilometers of evidence on an F1, Franco finished 12th in Monza and in his second race, in Azerbaijan, he was eighth and added his first points in F1. In the United States he scored again and his task caught the attention of Red Bull, a team that showed interest in having the Argentine. But then the problems arrived: two shattered cars in Brazil and another in Las Vegas withdrew the Austrians from the market.

But Briatore was interested in adding him to Alpine. In addition to sports, there is also the economic. Colapinto generates a lot in social networks and has the support of important companies in Argentina. The treat was very seductive to the Italian. The Buenos Aires occupied the role of a substitute pilot in Australia and China and in the rest of this year’s great awards he stayed at the Base of Estone working with the simulatorunder engineers. Ryo Hirakawa (today in Haas) was in Japan and Estonian Paul Aron traveled to the rest of the competitions.

Colapint will play in Emilia-Romagna its tenth career in Formula 1 And the 2025 calendar is expected to complete with Alpine as headline. Beyond that the team announced it until the end of the year, Briatore had also said that the Argentine would be “reserve, reserve” in Isola. The results, and the business will be the ones who send. For now, Argentina has a starting pilot again in the highest category.

David Mitchell
David Mitchell

As a passionate sports journalist with over a decade of experience, I strive to uncover the heart and soul behind every game. Supported by a dedicated team of fellow enthusiasts and storytellers, I am committed to delivering insightful and engaging content that connects fans worldwide. Together, we celebrate the victories, challenges, and unifying spirit of sports through every article we craft.