Franco Colapinto, the talented Argentine rookie in F1, is set to make his debut with Alpine. Such a thrilling, groundbreaking moment would occur this weekend at the Imola Grand Prix! He takes the place of Australian Jack Doohan, who has driven six races for the team so far this season. Colapinto, who completed nine starts with Williams in 2024, has been on fire this year in practice sessions. He ended the first session 17th best but picked it up and jumped into 13th in the second session.
Flavio Briatore, the new principal of Alpine, declared a great surprise. He assured us that there is no cap on how many more races Colapinto can run this year. Today’s announcement follows the sudden resignation of previous Chief Executive Oliver Oakes last week, for personal reasons. Briatore has now assumed control of Oakes’ day-to-day duties and expressed his confidence in Colapinto’s potential.
Expectations for Colapinto
Briatore has big expectations for Colapinto. As for the young driver, he has more than enough chances to keep himself on track. He strongly doubled down on the old belief that there is some explicit limit on how many races can be played – there isn’t.
“Franco will race as much as needed. I read somewhere that he’ll have five races, but no, there’s no set limit on his races.” – Flavio Briatore
Even Briatore has suggested that he expected more from Doohan, suggesting that the Australian should take a vacation. For the moment, Colapinto is just focused on making a big impression in his debut. He’ll be racing against the experienced Pierre Gasly, who proved his potential by finishing this morning’s second practice session in P3.
Colapinto’s Progress and Adaptation
Colapinto’s demeanor certainly had the air of a man with ever-deepening confidence after his first practice runs. He admitted it’s always difficult learning a new car but tempered that concern with a positive outlook on his improvement thus far.
“I’m beginning to be in a happier place with the car after my first day. There’s still a lot of work to do with the setup but I’m starting to be more comfortable,” – Franco Colapinto
Briatore has outlined three key expectations for Colapinto: speed, avoiding crashes, and scoring points. Alpine’s veteran team principal knows the key to mastering these elements will determine whether Colapinto’s future with Alpine extends beyond one season.
“He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points. I’m only asking him these three things… if he does them well, he will drive forever.” – Flavio Briatore
Team Dynamics Under New Leadership
Even with the new leadership team in place, the overall direction of Alpine doesn’t seem to have changed much. Though the new organizational chart may have raised some eyebrows, Briatore promised fans and members of the team that their core vision has not.
“Nothing changes. The organisational chart has shifted a bit, but everything else stays the same,” – Flavio Briatore
For Colapinto, he’s entering a shark tank. With Briatore once again running the show, both the driver and the team are coming to this race with high expectations. As all eyes turn to Sunday’s race at Imola, all eyes will be on Colapinto. They too, though, are excited to see how he approaches this new challenge.
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