What Is Colapinto’s Future with Alpine?
Alpine Driver Franco Colapinto is under serious pressure just six races into his 2025 debut. He replaced Jack Doohan at Imola—his first weekend back in F1, but his start couldn’t have been worse, with a big qualifying crash at Imola that destroyed his Alpine A525, followed by a one-place grid penalty for a pit-lane breach. Since then, he earned zero points and had another crash in British GP qualifying again. Rumors are swirling that Alpine may look to drop him if there’s no improvement, and that his contract specifically gave him five races to shine, we’re now past that sixth weekend.
Colapinto’s performance so far has been mixed at best. After Imola’s crash and penalty, he qualified poorly and finished Q13 and Q16 in Monaco and Spain. He out-qualified teammate Pierre Gasly in Canada but ended P13 after losing time post-pitstop. In Austria, he tangled with Tsunoda during the race and received a five-second penalty for not yielding under blue flags. Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore said they simply expect Colapinto to “be fast, not crash, and score points”. Help hasn’t been lacking. Briatore told the media the seat is open-ended and that he trusts his decision. Still, Alpine executives admitted their poor performance is “increasingly concerning,” with zero added points.
Behind the scenes, Alpine appears torn. Initial reports framed Colapinto’s deal as strictly five races, but Briatore later clarified that there’s no cap, it’s more open-ended. Yet other sources say the team is already eyeing backup candidates like Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. That indicates Alpine may not be fully committed, even while publicly backing Colapinto. The uncertainty was worsened by internal changes, like replacing team principal Oliver Oakes and rotating drivers mid-season. With Alpine languishing at the back of the standings and Gasly scoring all 11 points so far, the pressure is on.
Colapinto himself is staying calm under pressure. He regularly meets with Briatore, saying he has “conversations every day” and feels supported. He’s said he needs more than five races to adapt to the car—a point echoed by other drivers like Carlos Sainz. Yet Alpine is clear: they need him to stop crashing and start scoring before they decide his future. The Argentine admits the car is tricky and inconsistent, and he hasn’t clicked yet. So, where does Colapinto go from here? The next few races will likely decide his fate. He must show real pace and stay out of trouble to justify staying. If he starts stringing points finishes together, and with no crashes, Alpine may stick with him through 2026 and beyond. Yet, another crash or zero-point weekend could shift the balance, and rumors about Perez or Bottas could turn into serious talk. For now, his future boils down to performance under pressure in this tricky Alpine car.
