Franco Colapinto has “lost his mind” and is following the same path as Daniel Ricciardo, so says Nelson Piquet Jr.

Colapinto has struggled to make an impact in his ongoing audition in the Alpine seat, and according to Piquet Jr – one time a visitor to the F1 podium – it is the mental side which is holding him back, with a comparison made to former F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo.

Franco Colapinto: The next Daniel Ricciardo?

With Alpine bringing Colapinto in from Williams as reserve driver ahead of the F1 2025 campaign, speculation was already underway over the future of Jack Doohan, with Alpine making the call after six rounds to swap Doohan out and put Colapinto alongside Pierre Gasly, as the Argentine began his five-race audition for a long-term drive.

However, Colapinto has struggled to produce the kind of performances which turned heads in the paddock when he stepped up to Formula 1 with Williams last season, a qualifying shunt at Imola not helping his cause.

In Piquet’s opinion, Colapinto has hit a mental wall, the same wall which brought down Daniel Ricciardo.

After a torrid experience at McLaren alongside Lando Norris, Ricciardo returned to the Red Bull fold as reserve driver before re-taking his place on the grid in 2023 with their junior team, then known as AlphaTauri.

But, unable to perform to a level which would have made him a contender to return to Red Bull, Ricciardo was dropped following the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix.

“What sets [Lewis] Hamilton, [Fernando] Alonso, Max [Verstappen], those guys apart, they have a bit more talent, but the big difference is their mind. Daniel Ricciardo didn’t lose his talent, he lost his mind,” said Piquet on the Pelas Pistas podcast.

“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.”

F1 2025 driver head-to-heads

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

With neither Doohan nor Colapinto seemingly establishing themselves as the standout option for Alpine looking ahead to 2026, Sergio Perez has found himself linked with the seat.

Perez departed Red Bull after the 2024 campaign, but the struggles of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda who came after, have gone some way to elevating Perez’s stock, suggesting his collapse in form last season was not entirely his own doing.

Colapinto though is not under immediate threat, as PlanetF1.com understands that Perez is not a driver under Alpine consideration for F1 2025.

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