IMOLA, May 17 — Argentine Formula One rookie Franco Colapinto has no set limit on how many races he will get with Alpine this season despite talk of an initial five, according to boss Flavio Briatore.
Colapinto, who made nine starts with Williams in 2024, has replaced Australian Jack Doohan after six of 24 races and is making his Alpine debut at Imola this weekend.
“It’s not that a driver gets three or five races. I expected more from Jack Doohan. Maybe he needs a break,” Briatore told Sky Italia.
“Franco will race as much as needed. I read somewhere that he’ll have five races, but no, there’s no set limit on his races.
“He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points. I’m only asking him these three things… if he does them well, he will drive forever.”
Alpine quoted Briatore in a press release last week as saying: “We have come to the decision to put Franco in the car alongside Pierre (Gasly) for the next five races.
“The next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options.”
Colapinto was 17th and 13th respectively in yesterday’s two practice sessions.
“I’m beginning to be in a happier place with the car after my first day. There’s still a lot of work to do with the setup but I’m starting to be more comfortable,” he said.
“I am building up to it and by the end of the day I was starting to be a bit more competitive. The car is looking quite strong, especially with Pierre so I’m sure we are in the mix.”
Gasly was a surprise third fastest in the second session, a boost for Alpine who are ninth of 10 teams in the standings.
Briatore has taken on the duties of Oliver Oakes, who resigned suddenly as principal last week after the Miami Grand Prix.
The Italian said Oakes, who is at Imola in the F2 paddock with his Hitech operation, had caught the team by surprise with his resignation on personal grounds.
“Nothing changes. The organisational chart has shifted a bit, but everything else stays the same,” said Briatore of his role. “For now, I’m taking charge, but I’m used to that, it’s not my first day at school.” — Reuters
