Franco Colapinto addresses F1 future as Flavio Briatore cuts Alpine shortlist

Franco Colapinto insists he must simply deal with the pressure around the uncertainty of his F1 future with Alpine. 

The Argentine was drafted to replace Jack Doohan from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and was handed three instructions from executive advisor Flavio Briatore, with these being 'don't crash, drive fast and score points.'

Colapinto has not scored points, suffered a number of crashes, and had started to perform well alongside Pierre Gasly, before a shunt in Azerbaijan GP qualifying wrecked his weekend. 

Briatore has indicated that Alpine's second driver for 2026 will be an internal hire, with either Colapinto or reserve driver Paul Aron getting the nod, with Doohan's chances of a return appearing slim. 

Addressing his future, Colapinto felt that the pressure of uncertainty was something any athlete must get accustomed to.

"There have been a lot of rumours, and I don't really look at them too much," Colapinto told media, including RacingNews365. 

"I'm used to it, and it's the way in Formula 1 or any sport is like this, and the athletes need to get used to it, I guess.

"I'm just trying to focus on race-by-race, trying to focus on my own performance, and the results are not what we want as a team.

"I'm fully focused on maximising what I can do in the car, and the rest will come."

Colapinto is now returning to the tracks he raced at with Williams in 2024, following the replacement of Logan Sargeant, as he explained how that extra knowledge is helping him. 

"Basically, I know what to expect, I know where the car is, I know what the track actually brings, so I know that some corners are going to be more understeery or that I am going to need more rotation or stability here. 

"Maybe I am not getting up to speed quicker, but I feel it is going to give me that little bit I miss of being fully on the details and being fully on top of the tools and all the little things on the car."