Damon Hill reacts to Flavio Briatore's major u-turn on Franco Colapinto
Alpine's executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, has claimed that Franco Colapinto can race forever for Alpine if he follows three demands. He took a U-turn after initially confirming that Colapinto will have only five races to prove himself, and Damon Hill reacted to this sudden change of stance.
The French team made a controversial decision to sack Jack Doohan following the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. Colpainto, the reserve driver, was promoted to Doohan's seat. However, in its official press release, the Enstone-based team said that Franco will race only five Grand Prixs, beginning with the Imola GP and ending with the Austrian GP.
But at Imola this week, Alpine's executive advisor Flavio Briatore took a complete U-turn. He insisted that reports of Colapinto's five-race contract are false. As long as the Argentine driver races fast, scores points, and avoids crashes, he can race as long as he wants to.
"Franco will race as much as needed. I read somewhere that he'll have five races, but no, there's no set limit. He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points. I'm only asking him these three things. If he does them well, he will drive forever," Briatore told Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, former F1 world champion Damon Hill reacted to Briatore's U-turn and said:
"F1 is very simple. Just follow these three rules...."
![Damon Hill's IG Story [Image Source: @96f1champ/Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/b48cd-17474873351071-1920.jpg?w=500)
Flavio Briatore, in his official statement released by Alpine, clearly stated that Colapinto has been appointed as Doohan's replacement for the next five races, beginning from Imola. However, the sudden U-turn didn't make sense to fans as they reacted strongly on social media.
Alpine's troubles are not limited to Colapinto. A day before they announced Doohan's firing, team principal Oliver Oakes resigned, citing personal reasons. Moreover, Briatore will handle Oakes' duties momentarily as a replacement is yet to be announced.
Franco Colapinto says five races 'not enough' to prove himself
As confirmed by Alpine earlier this month, Franco Colapinto will race the next five Grand Prixs as Jack Doohan's replacement before the team reassesses his performance prior to the British GP. However, Colapinto has now said that five races will not be enough for him to adjust to the new car and deliver the desired results.
Talking to Motorsportweek, he said:
“I don’t even think about the five races. I’m just in a happy place, and I’m dealing with it very well, I think, at the moment. I just want to get back in the seat and drive. Of course, after you heard Carlos [Sainz] saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to the car, I think five is not enough for me, if I even drove for nine in all my life in F1. Yeah, it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five, to get up to speed and maximise everything out of the car."
Franco Colapinto made his F1 debut last year with Williams and drove nine races before joining Alpine this season.