Alpine group principal Flavio Briatore has heaped stress on Franco Colapinto by admitting the Alpine driver’s performances and outcomes are usually not what he anticipated.
Alpine opted to advertise Colapinto from his position of reserve driver after simply six rounds of the present season, changing Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix at first of Could. The 22-year-old Argentine has but to attain some extent in seven begins up to now – having picked up 5 in 9 races for Williams final yr – and Briatore (pictured above with Colapinto) now questions whether or not he wanted extra time creating earlier than getting one other race seat.
“I believe I see all the things already,” Briatore stated. “I don’t assume I have to see something anymore.
“It’s very tough for these drivers to deal with this automotive. These vehicles are very, very heavy, very, very fast. For a younger driver to place in Formulation 1… Possibly it was not the time to have Franco in Formulation 1, possibly he wanted one other one yr to be a part of Formulation 1.
“I’m not joyful. What’s necessary is the outcomes. He tries very laborious, and we attempt very laborious with the engineers to please him with all the things, however actually it isn’t what I anticipated from Colapinto.”
Regardless of these feedback, when pushed on his plans for the second seat at Alpine by means of the remainder of this season and into 2026 alongside Pierre Gasly, Briatore recommended he may have been at fault for the best way he’s dealt with the rookie.
“[Alpine has made] not so many adjustments,” he stated. “We modified Doohan with Colapinto. And possibly Colapinto [had] an excessive amount of stress to be in Formulation 1. Final yr, he had two or three races with [Williams], the place he did very effectively. However possibly to be within the group with a very good driver like Pierre, and at all times in competitors with the teammate, possibly we put an excessive amount of stress on him.
“I believe we have to contemplate that. The motive force is a human being and we have to perceive precisely what’s happening within the heads of those youngsters. As a result of these are younger youngsters – 19, 20, 22, 23 – and I believe it’s a mistake to underestimate the human a part of the motive force.
“We’re at all times trying on the timing. Possibly I missed one thing within the administration of the motive force, Colapinto. For the long run, truthfully, I don’t know.”
