Franco Colapinto speaks out over five-race Alpine F1 trial run

Franco Colapinto does not believe five rounds in F1 is enough time to fully get to grips with his Alpine, having been handed an audition for the seat alongside Pierre Gasly.

The Argentine has replaced Jack Doohan just six rounds into the current season, but will need to impress bosses at Team Enstone to land the drive on a full-time basis. 

With the switch causing a significant stir in the F1 paddock, numerous drivers labelled Alpine's decision "harsh" on the Australian.

However, it has also been noted how only giving Colapinto five grands prix to make his case is also a brutal move.

When asked by RacingNews365 how he feels about his situation and how he will best avoid making mistakes under intense scrutiny, Colapinto focused on the positives. 

"I don’t know," he initially responded to the media present, before adding: "We’ll see once I drive. But I have a great opportunity ahead. I’m happy to be in F1.

"I don’t even think in terms of five races - I’m just in a happy place and I’m dealing with it very well. I think at the moment I just want to get back in the seat and drive."

Although the switch with Doohan was seemingly inevitable from the moment Colapinto joined the team from Williams, lingering doubts about his abilities remain from his nine-round cameo last season.

Despite proving he was more than quick enough for F1, the new Alpine driver developed a reputation for being crash happy, a concern his red-flag inducing shunt during qualifying at Imola will do nothing to alleviate.

It has been a messy start to his first weekend in an Alpine race seat. After appearing to impede numerous rivals during practice, he also earned a one-place grid penalty for leaving his garage before the restart time had been confirmed following Yuki Tsunoda triggering the first red flag in qualifying. He will therefore start the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in P16.

However - and although prior to his difficult grid-setting session - Flavio Briatore has attempted to row back on the specifics of the Argentine's five-round audition, in a staggering development.

This will come as music to Colapinto's ears, with the 21-year-old having expressed his belief that five grands prix is "not enough" for him to prove himself.

"Of course, after you heard Carlos [Sainz] - especially Carlos - saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to a car, I think five is not enough for me. I’ve only driven nine in my life in F1," he said.

"So yeah, it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five to get up to speed and maximise everything out of the car, but it is what I have and I just want to maximise it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team."