Alpine Remains Committed to Franco Colapinto After Challenging 2025 F1 Season

Colapinto made his Formula 1 debut in the mid-2024 season, replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams. His debut was promising, as he quickly made it to Q3 and scored his first points in the second race in Azerbaijan. He also performed competitively in Austin, qualifying for SQ3 and finishing in the top 10 in the US Grand Prix.

However, things took a different turn when Colapinto was promoted to the main Alpine driver replacing Jack Doohan from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 2025. Throughout the second half of the season, Colapinto struggled to score points, as Alpine's performance plummeted significantly.

Alpine ended the 2025 season at the bottom of the constructor's standings with 22 points. This poor season was largely due to the team's decision to stop developing the A525 earlier in the season to focus on the new 2026 regulations, while their rivals continued to update their cars until the end.

Steve Nielsen emphasized that Colapinto's performance should not be separated from the car's performance. According to Nielsen, the young driver showed some impressive speed, even matching Pierre Gasly in certain races and sometimes performing better during the actual race.

"Franco is a young driver going through a learning process. There are positive moments and tough phases, that's just normal," Nielsen said. He added that Alpine would provide Colapinto with all the necessary support to help him grow and contribute more consistently.

Nielsen also stressed the importance of having two drivers who can consistently score points. Last season, Alpine struggled because only one car was occasionally competitive, while the second car failed to score.

"We need stability in the second car and give it enough time to mature. For a team to compete, you need two drivers who are equally productive," he concluded.

With the full preseason schedule and a new car in 2026, Alpine hopes that Franco Colapinto will show significant improvement and answer the team's trust.

Related Tags: alpine, f1 2026, franco colapinto, motorsport, f1, formula one

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