Flavio Briatore delivers landmark update on Franco Colapinto's future at Alpine
Alpine team boss Flavio Briatore has claimed that Franco Colapinto does not have a 5-race clause where he would be evaluated and then, on the basis of that, his candidacy would be decided. The French team has faced some criticism because of the manner in which it has handled team personnel in the last few years.
The most recent example is Jack Doohan. The Australian driver was picked up as an abrupt replacement for the last race of the season in 2024 when he was put in the car instead of Esteban Ocon. Ahead of the start of the 2025 F1 season, Alpine signed Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver, a move that led to rumors of the Argentinian replacing Jack Doohan at some point in the season.
That moment came after the F1 Miami GP, where Jack out-qualified his experienced Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly before a first-lap mishap on Sunday hurt him. What was, however, surprising in all of this was the fact that the French team's official announcement claimed that Franco Colapinto had been picked up for just 5 races, where he would get evaluated.
These suggestions have been quashed by Flavio Briatore, who claimed that the Argentinian was going to be a part of the team for an indefinite period. Talking to Sky Italy, he said,
“I have to say, I also expected more from Jack Doohan – maybe he needs a break. Franco will race as much as needed. I read somewhere that he’ll have five races, but no, there’s no set limit on his races. He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points. I’m only asking him these three things — not 10. If he does them well, he’ll drive forever.”
Talking about the now departed Alpine team principal, Oliver Oakes, Flavio Briatore also said that he had a great relationship with the former, and the departure was due to personal reasons. He said,
“His resignation came after Miami due to a personal issue, and when it happened, I didn’t expect it either. This is a united team. There were rumours that I had argued with Oliver, but that’s not true — we have a great relationship.”
Alpine's change in tone for Franco Colapinto
This statement and demeanor change from Alpine does come as a surprise because the team's official statement after Jack Doohan's departure had stated that Franco Colapinto would have a handful of races. After the Doohan replacement became official, the French team's official handle released the following,
“Having reviewed the opening races of the season, we have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre for the next five races. […] The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options.”
Franco Colapinto was impressive in the limited opportunities he got last season, and this time around he would be hoping to impress his Alpine boss.