What are the thoughts of new Alpine regular driver Franco Colapinto as he prepares for his Formula 1 comeback in Imola, and what are his prospects?
Franco Colapinto is set to return to Formula 1 after Alpine sent its previous regular driver Jack Doohan back to the bench for the time being. Now Colapinto is getting his chance: he will have five race weekends in the A525 alongside Pierre Gasly to prove himself, after which the team management around Flavio Briatore will decide on how to proceed.
But Colapinto himself is not thinking that far ahead yet: his thoughts are currently focused exclusively on his upcoming Formula 1 comeback.
He says: “I’m very excited to finally start a race weekend again – the first time since December. And I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
For him, the aim in Imola is to “get up to speed quickly and show what I can do in the car,” as the Argentine racing driver describes it. He feels “definitely ready and well prepared” after recently completing “some test drives in the 2023 car and time in the simulator.”
What Williams team boss Vowles believes Colapinto is capable of
Williams team boss James Vowles is confident that his former driver will quickly prove himself: “We’ve seen how quickly he can get up to speed. I know Franco is incredibly fast. That’s why I believe he’ll do a good job regardless of any deadline.”
And there is a hint of “builder’s pride” in the words of Vowles, who made Colapinto’s breakthrough and first Formula 1 race appearances possible in 2024: “I am proud that Franco was part of our academy and that we share responsibility for him being on the grid today.”
That’s the mood at Alpine
But what is the mood like in the Alpine team after all the upheavals of the past few days? Not only is Doohan no longer there (for the time being), but Oliver Oakes, the previous team boss, is also missing – meaning that Briatore now has unrestricted control of the French-English racing team.
Gasly says: “The whole team has worked hard during the free week to regroup and recharge our batteries for the upcoming three races in a row, starting this weekend in Imola.”
He himself spent time in the simulator and with the team. “We are fully focused on the upcoming races with the goal of scoring points,” says Gasly.
The long-time Formula 1 driver has scored all seven of Alpine’s points so far this year: six in Bahrain and one in Miami. This puts the team in second-to-last place in the constructors’ championship—because, according to Gasly, Alpine ultimately “lacked the pace” to achieve more.
