Franco Colapinto Sees Brighter Future with Alpine's Rapid Progress

F1 News: Franco Colapinto has revealed how Alpine's resurgence in F1 this season has made him feel "happier" and "more confident" compared to the tough campaign the team faced last year.

Last year, Team Enstone often found itself at the back of the grid during the season despite prioritizing the new era regulations. Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly managed to score points on a few occasions, but Colapinto – who took over Jack Doohan's seat six rounds into the season – failed to score a point.

However, Alpine's decision is now starting to bear fruit. With just three races into the season, they've accumulated 16 points, six points shy of the 22 points they achieved throughout last year. With the Mercedes engine power, after the team dropped its manufacturer status, Colapinto scored his first point since his Williams days at the Chinese Grand Prix – and could have had more if not for Esteban Ocon's incident.

Describing how his situation is different now compared to last year, the Argentine driver highlighted how the A526 has motivated him more. "I'm happier, of course," he told media, including RacingNews365. "When you can battle further ahead, it makes you feel more confident, makes you give a bit extra in different situations."

Colapinto had to compete with a few different specification parts on his Alpine over the last two rounds due to a problem detected at the back of his car at the Shanghai International Circuit. Alpine has clarified the situation, and this might explain some of the performance gap between him and Gasly, but the 22-year-old driver is closing the gap and remains optimistic about what's to come.

"I think knowing that we have a lot of performance to come, or that we see a lot of things to improve, it's very positive," he said. "When you're up there and you know you have a lot to improve and raise, it's even better. So, I think looking forward to this year, it feels more competitive, and that makes you happier, and of course, we want to battle consistently for points, which is our goal."

Article Tags: alpine, franco colapinto, formula 1, motorsport, sports

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