Franco Colapinto reveals Alpine sacrifice as Brundle sends Flavio Briatore warning
Franco Colapinto joined Alpine from Williams ahead of the F1 2025 season
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has revealed that he is sacrificing a summer holiday in an attempt to get to the bottom of his Alpine struggles in F1 2025.
It comes after Martin Brundle, the Sky F1 pundit, warned that Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore will not hesitate to make a change if the youngster continues to underperform.
Martin Brundle: Franco Colapinto a ‘disposable item’ under Flavio Briatore at Alpine
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Colapinto has struggled since replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine ahead of May’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, finishing no higher than 13th across his first eight appearances for the team.
The Argentine initially joined Alpine as a reserve driver for F1 2025 after an impressive cameo for the Williams team in the second half of last year, with Colapinto stepping up to a race seat after just six races of this season.
Despite his lack of results on track, Colapinto has proven highly popular commercially since his debut at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix with sponsors flocking to link up with the 22-year-old.
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As reported by PlanetF1.com, Colapinto struck a personal sponsorship deal last month with Claro, the telecommunications company historically linked to former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, in a boost to his hopes of remaining in place at Alpine.
PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Colapinto is facing no immediate threat to his Alpine seat, with the youngster expected to be given every opportunity to state his case for an F1 2026 drive.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, Colapinto revealed that he has shelved plans for a summer holiday as he seeks a change in fortunes in the second half of this season.
Put to him that he wouldn’t be going on vacation during the summer break, Colapinto said: “Yeah.
“I think, on my side, my season has been a bit shorter so far. I’ve done a few races less [than the other drivers] so I need to keep working.
“When you are not really comfortable with the performance with some things, I think I just need to keep pushing and keep going.
“Of course, you need time to reset. You need to use the free time to try to keep learning and understanding what you need to get better.
“So we will, of course, keep pushing. Keep pushing forward and trying to come back from the summer break a bit stronger than when we left.”
More on Franco Colapinto and Alpine from PlanetF1.com
Colapinto’s comments come after Brundle, who spent a season under Briatore’s management at Benetton in 1992, claimed that the Alpine adviser will view Colapinto as a “disposable item” if he continues to lack results.
And he suggested that Colapinto’s hopes of being retained for next season “definitely” don’t bode well based on current form.
Brundle told Sky F1: “Colapinto? Well, he’s still in it [the seat], isn’t he?
“You hear different stories about his sponsors arriving [and] not arriving.
“He’s certainly not doing a particularly good job. He looked really spectacular in the early days at Williams, but then he crashed a lot of Williams’ after that.
“It doesn’t bode well. I think 2026 definitely doesn’t bode well.
“The trouble with Flavio is, as I know well, you’re a disposable item as a racing driver generally speaking. That’s been his MO through the years.
“This is a competitive business, it’s not finishing school.
“If you don’t deliver, you’re like a lightbulb: they’ll take you out and put another bulb in.”
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