12-race F1 driver told he’s about to become the next Daniel Ricciardo, ‘he’s lost his mind’

When Daniel Ricciardo left F1 with races left to go, he was effectively finished mentally with the sport.

The Australian had failed to improve on his form after struggling to make any inroads at Racing Bulls in a 12-month period, and Red Bull did not feel the need to promote him to replace Sergio Perez.

It was a tough blow for Ricciardo, who made his F1 comeback midway through 2023, after Nyck de Vries’ short-lived campaign.

Now it appears one driver on the current grid could face the same fate, after Nelson Piquet Jr pointed out that he has suffered the same mental block as Ricciardo when speaking on the Pelas Pistas podcast.

Nelson Piquet Jr thinks Franco Colapinto risks becoming the next Daniel Ricciardo

Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine after six races, and it has been anything but an improvement on the Australian.

After Alpine appeared to be on course for a decent points haul in Imola, Colapinto suffered a heavy crash in qualifying, causing a significant setback for the team.

Things didn’t improve in Monaco or Spain, and now Piquet worries that Colapinto’s career could be at risk after just 12 starts in F1.

“What sets Hamilton, Alonso, Max, those guys apart. They have a bit more of talent, but the big difference is their mind. Daniel Ricciardo didn’t lose his talent, he lost his mind,” said Piquet.

“Colapinto seems like he’s lost his mind. He’s not slow, because he’s already shown it at the start in three consecutive qualifying rounds with no experience in F1. He’s not stupid.

“But then, something messes with his head and, unfortunately, there comes a point where the strongest, most aggressive, confident minds are the ones that prevail.”

Franco Colapinto entering ‘critical phase’ of F1 career at Alpine

There is some ambiguity over whether Alpine has put Colapinto on a trial for five races before an evaluation after the British Grand Prix.

Initially, the team said that it was their plan before assessing their options in July before the summer break, but Flavio Briatore has since denied that Colapinto is on a trial.

Colapinto now faces a ‘critical phase’ of his F1 career before the Canadian Grand Prix, having so far failed to deliver on expectations.

Briatore thinks Colapinto is the future of F1, but his confidence has taken a knock having struggled so far in the Alpine A525.