New signing Franco Colapinto did not crash at the Monaco Grand Prix.

And that’s the only positive that Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore can find in his team’s weekend in Monte Carlo.

‘The only good thing this weekend was Franco’

Alpine had a lacklustre weekend last time out in Monte Carlo where Pierre Gasly and Colapinto were 17th and 20th in Friday’s practice, and it didn’t get any better on the Saturday.

The team-mates were out in Q1, Gasly 18th and Colapinto the slowest of the 20 drivers, but at least the Argentinean’s qualifying didn’t end in a crash like it did a week earlier in Imola.

The Grand Prix was another session to forget for Alpine as Gasly drove into the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull at the Nouvelle chicane and limped back to the pits in a severely damaged A525. Colapinto finished in 13th place.

That Colapinto finished, and made it through the weekend without crashing his car, was the only positive in Alpine’s Monaco Grand Prix story.

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“I’m not okay,” Briatore told DAZN. “The only good thing this weekend was Franco, who didn’t have any crashes, and the rest we’ll have to forget. It wasn’t our weekend.

“Barcelona is tough, but we hope it will go better than here.”

Colapinto will be hoping for the same.

The Argentinean was set three goals by Briatore when he replaced Jack Doohan in Imola.

“He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points,” said the Italian. “I’m only asking him these three things – not 10. If he does them well, he’ll drive forever.”

But while Briatore’s comments about Colapinto are more encouraging than him saying of his predecessor Jack Doohan that the only thing guaranteed is “death”, Colapinto is under pressure to retain the Alpine seat.

His compatriot and WEC driver José María López believes the 22-year-old can do the job.

“He doesn’t have to prove anything,” he told ESPN. “Formula 1 has changed a lot, The terrible pressure that young guys handle is difficult. At the same time there are only 20 seats, and the teams make that count, they need quick results because they have the pressure too.

“A small mistake can put you in the wall. He knows it, the last thing he needs is that because he has to gain confidence and gain confidence with the team. It was a difficult race, the car from what you can see, because you also take it as a reference to Gasly, it’s not good.

“He has the conditions, I think he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone at this time, and the results are going to come.”

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