After joining Alpine midseason, Franco Colapinto has encountered various hurdles along his journey; including struggling to gain points during 2025 season. Yet his position within Enstone team remains secure for now.
Alpine appreciates the struggles Colapinto has encountered since joining their team this season; these challenges contributed to an inconsistent performance on track and they anticipate no major shift in status between now and season end.
Looking ahead to 2026, there is less clarity regarding the decisions Alpine will make concerning their lineup, indicating a period of evaluation lies ahead for Colapinto.
Colapinto still has time to establish himself
Upon making his debut last year, Franco Colapinto was met with skepticism regarding his potential to outperform Logan Sargeant, whom he replaced. His rookie season in Formula 2, although it positioned him ahead of competitors like Antonelli and Bearman, was not seen as adequate justification for his sudden elevation to Formula 1 mid-season. However, these views largely underestimated Colapinto’s skill.
James Vowles has pointed out that Colapinto’s junior career, though marked by financial constraints that limited testing time compared to his rivals, was commendable. In his second race weekend, Colapinto managed to score points for Williams, a feat that highlighted his competitive edge during qualifying sessions close to Alex Albon.
Despite the early omission from discussions around top talent, Colapinto quickly garnered attention and praise, significantly raising expectations. His rapid rise in value was evident when rumors circulated about Red Bull considering him as a potential replacement for Perez.
Alpine’s decision to sign Colapinto as Doohan’s replacement after Miami was an acknowledgment of his promising start with Williams. Despite the unfortunate mismatch in performance and results at Alpine in 2025, due to various factors including the A525’s poor showing and operational errors, Colapinto’s place in the team for the remainder of the year seems assured.
Why focusing on Alpine’s drivers would be a mistake
While Colapinto’s tenure at Alpine has not led to the desired outcomes, and despite accumulating a number of crashes, a deeper analysis reveals that he’s performing respectably under the circumstances. He has managed to outqualify Gasly twice without the benefit of a pre-season, a clear indicator of his capability.
Alpine has made no mid-season driver changes this year due to their A525 being amongst the slowest on track; instead they are using this final race week of 2018 as an opportunity to assess Colapinto as part of the team beyond 2025.
Colapinto will likely receive his final verdict from Alpine after this season is concluded in Abu Dhabi – marking an end to an intensive evaluation phase for him within Alpine.