Franco Colapinto addresses Alpine benching speculation after Flavio Briatore anger

Franco Colapinto has dismissed talk of being dropped for this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, insisting the furore around his Baku crash never threatened his seat.

Colapinto triggered a chaotic Turn 1 restart collision at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that eliminated team-mate Pierre Gasly, McLaren's Lando Norris and himself, costing Alpine a potential double points finish.

Flavio Briatore's blunt post-race reaction fuelled speculation suggesting the 23-year-old could be stood down for Formula 1's return to the Sepang International Circuit

Those reports have proven wide of the mark. Alpine confirmed Colapinto in its official race preview and had him back in the simulator at Enstone within days of the incident.

Asked by media, including RacingNews365, whether sitting out the weekend in Sepang was ever a genuine possibility, Colapinto replied: "Not really.

"I was in the factory straight away, getting ready for the race here in Malaysia, and those things never changed, and our prep for the future never really changed.

"Of course, Flavio was angry, as everyone in the team was angry, and it's not a nice situation to be in, and even worse to be the one creating that situation. It's the last thing that you want as a team.

"We were doing a very good job as team-mates all that weekend with Pierre, and it's very sad to finish it like that, with a mistake.

"It was something very unintentional that I hope everyone understands. It was just a lock-up; when you touch the brake and you lock up, you are out of control, and it's extremely unfortunate that I took Pierre out, who is my team-mate, and of course, Lando as well, and I'm very sorry for that.

"But mainly Pierre, for the great situation we were in and what it creates in the team, and of course, it makes everyone upset. I cannot change it now. I would love to be able to change it, but just that I'm very sorry.

"That's the reality, and I was very sorry straight after it happened, and it's not a nice situation to be in. But we fixed it internally, and they've been quite supportive and willing to look forward very quickly. And I'm excited for the future and excited to have a race this weekend."

Briatore's response

Briatore's post-race statement had made clear his frustration, saying he wanted "time to reflect" on what action to take.

Stewards subsequently handed Colapinto a five-place grid penalty for Sepang, having judged him predominantly to blame for the restart crash.

Colapinto said the conversations with Briatore since Baku had been constructive rather than punitive.

"There are times in the team when everyone is angry, and it's tricky to move forward at the start, but you always find a way," Colapinto said.

"And Flavio is a great team leader. He's probably one of the best I've had in the sport, of course, since I started, and he has a lot of experience, so he's very good at these situations, knowing how to manage them and knowing how to make the team better.

"So I always trusted him with this kind of stuff. And of course, it's probably not the best when you are the one in the wrong and you made a mistake, but it's great to have him and learn from it.

"It's a difficult situation for the team. He's a team leader, the one trying to make the team win again and make the team better.

"As soon as we spoke again, I came back to the garage, and I took full responsibility. It was a mistake; I locked up in Turn 1. It's a mistake with just very big consequences. And of course, I'm sad about what happened.

"But as a team, we had a lot of chats, and we learned how to move on, and we understand how to get better for the future, and we'll keep pushing to score points this weekend.

"So again, I'm just very grateful to be part of this team and to have the support of everyone, Flavio, from the start.

"Pierre, as my team-mate, we have a very good relationship... Everything is good. It's good that we have a race this weekend to move on quickly."