Flavio Briatore has promised to put Franco Colapinto into a position where he can “do the job” amidst reports he could be in the Alpine A525 before the F1 2025 season is over.

Colapinto made headlines last season when he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams and scored points, a feat Sargeant had not achieved in his 16 races in F1 2024.

Flavio Briatore: To put Franco in the position to do the job…

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

His performances caught the attention of Red Bull and Alpine with the latter signing the Argentinean driver in the off-season, bringing him into the fold as the team’s official reserve driver.

Although he won’t be on the grid at the Australian Grand Prix, Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly making up Alpine’s line-up, rumours suggest it is only a matter of time before he’s in the car.

But even out of the car he’s proving to be a huge asset for Alpine who earlier this week added Mercado Libre, Latin America’s most popular e-commerce platform and Colapinto’s personal sponsor, to their list of F1 2025 sponsors.

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However, it’s not just the 21-year-old’s star power with the sponsors and fans that delights Briatore as the driver also has speed and he’s good at communicating with the engineers.

“He’s quick. He’s a very, very good driver,” Briatore enthused to Argentinean broadcaster, Eltrece.

“He needs some experience, but we believe in Franco. We were fighting to have Franco in the team. And for the future, Franco is one of the most important assets for us.

“In Formula 1, what is important is the timing. He’s a nice guy, and he respects the sponsors. He has a very good conversation with all the engineering. He’s working very hard in this moment with us. I’m very happy.”

But whether all of that sees Colapinto climb into the A525 before the season is over remains to be seen. Colapinto has been linked to Doohan’s seat with Formula 1’s rumour mill claiming the Australian driver only has a guaranteed contract for a handful of races.

Briatore revealed that he has made Colapinto promises, but didn’t go into details or give a timeframe for following through.

“The promise is we will try all the best to put Franco in the position to do the job,” he said. “This is what we need to be doing.

“We do all the effort with the engineers to make sure he has the right car to do the job. And after [that], we’ll see.”

Colapinto, meanwhile, told Telenoche at the F1 75 launch event that while he is a reserve driver for now, joining Alpine gave him a better chance of racing than if he’d remained with Williams.

He too though, said in the future, not 2025.

“In the end,” he said, “Alpine was the best option, and the one that gave me more opportunities for a main driver seat in the future

He added that it was “an honor and a motive of pride” to be chosen by Briatore as “he’s the one who found [Michael Schumacher] and [Fernando] Alonso. He’s got a lot of history in F1 and he’s going with his gut; he hasn’t missed so far.”

For now Colapinto is the reserve driver, something Doohan made clear when he spoke with media including PlanetF1.com in London on Tuesday ahead of the launch event.

“I’ve been told he’s a reserve driver,” he said.

“I think regardless, you’re one of 20 Formula 1 drivers in the world – and I know when I was in a go-kart, Formula 3, Formula 2, I would do anything to be in Formula 1 and sacrifice everything.

“So I don’t think necessarily that someone inside the team, outside the team, you know, anyone that’s performing well, you’re always going to have pressure on your shoulders, because you’re in such a cut-throat sport.

“But whatever pressure there may be, I look forward to enjoying that, embracing it, and just enjoying my Formula 1 season.”

Asked if Colapinto’s arrival on a long-term deal as a reserve driver made him feel undermined, Doohan replied: “Is that a question?”

Pressed on it, he said: “I was a 21-year-old reserve driver last year with a long-term contract, but no I don’t. Maybe I should, I don’t know. I don’t really understand how that’s a question, but definitely not [undermined].”

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