Franco Colapinto Needs More Than Five Races to Feel Comfortable in Alpine

Franco Colapinto has responded to his five-race deal to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine.

After nine impressive but error-prone seasons with Williams at the end of 2024, Franco Colapinto has ensured a thrilling Formula One comeback with Alpine starting from the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend.

However, the French team only granted him five races to prove his abilities, and they didn't mention who would take over Pierre Gasly's place from the British Grand Prix in July.

Many critics questioned the decision to drop rookie Formula One driver Jack Doohan after only six races, while many others believe that Alpine placed too much pressure on his replacement Colapinto.

When asked if the length of his contract could push him to make even more errors, the Argentine driver said, "I know [what's been said], we'll just see after I've driven.

"However, I have a big opportunity and I'm happy to return to F1. I even didn't expect to follow five races, I'm just happy and I face it very well. At the moment, I just want to get back to my seat and drive.

"Of course, you heard Carlos [Sainz] saying that he needed around ten races to get used to the [Williams] car, I think five races aren't enough for me. I've raced for nine races throughout my F1 life.

"Maybe I need a few more races, maybe more than five races to reach top speed and maximize all the car's capabilities, but that's what I have. I just want to maximize it, enjoy it, and try to do the best for the team."

Alpine experienced an early struggle in the 2025 F1 season, with the A520 proving non-competitive in qualifying and racing.

Renault, Alpine's parent company is believed to be unhappy with Jack Doohan's performance, failing to score one point in the first three races of the season.

Gasly also faced challenges to reach the top ten this year, after only scoring points in two occasions so far.

He finished seventh in the Austrian Grand Prix and collected additional points in the Miami Sprint after several drivers finishing ahead of him received penalties.

When asked if Alpine had given him target to achieve beyond his five initial races to secure a contract extension, Colapinto refused to answer.

"As a driver, I just try to do it one step at a time, I don't know the car that well, so there are many new things coming.

\"I just want to do the basic things right and after that I don't expect any results. The team's performance is very, very solid so they change from one circuit to another depending on which circuit is stronger for each [circuit].

\"FP1 and FP2, we will have a clear view of where we are. [I] still have a lot to work with the team, our main goal is to make the car faster, so we need to find a bit of performance. That's the main goal, to try to slightly increase performance and of course, after these five races, we will see where we stand."

Colapinto rose up the junior ranks as a member of the Williams F1 Academy and has since been loaned to Alpine.

He was added to Alpine's reserve driver list in January and has since completed hundreds of laps as part of the TPC (car performance testing) squad.

However, the 21-year-old driver felt like he was starting from scratch in Imola last weekend, when he jumped into the 2025 Alpine F1 car for the first time.

\" I am very happy," he said. "Everything is new again. We start from zero. Of course, it wasn't nice after following nine races last year to get out [of the driving seat].

\"That wasn't what I wanted, but it was a good time to reflect on what happened last year and learn from it. Good to be back.

\"Of course, this isn't a pleasant situation when something like this happens, when you sit on another driver's seat, but you never really choose the moment when you enter Formula One.

\"I just take it, try to do the best I can, and try to maximize everything for the job."