Flavio Briatore saw something in Franco Colapinto’s Imola data that Alpine never got with Jack Doohan

Flavio Briatore believes Alpine have already reaped the rewards from his decision to replace Jack Doohan with Franco Colapinto, despite the Argentine crashing at Imola.

The flamboyant Italian businessman has assumed full control in Enstone after team principal Oliver Oakes resigned. Briatore controversially returned to the F1 team that he once helmed last June as an executive adviser to try to flip their fortunes around after years of regression.

Alpine have slipped from fourth in the 2022 F1 constructors’ standings on 173 points to sixth in 2023 with 120 and sixth in 2024 with 65. They have also only scored seven points so far in the 2025 F1 season to sit ninth in the championship, with just Sauber scoring fewer with six.

All seven of Alpine’s points so far this season have come thanks to Pierre Gasly, as well. So, Briatore replaced Doohan with Colapinto on a five-round contract, with the Argentine taking over from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola given the Australian did not score a point.

Flavio Briatore thinks Jack Doohan never got close to Pierre Gasly’s pace, unlike Franco Colapinto on his Alpine debut

But Colapinto did not enjoy the debut for Alpine that the 21-year-old would have wanted at Imola. The Buenos Aires native would only finish the Emilia Romagna GP in 16th place after Colapinto’s Q1 crash at Imola. Gasly also finished in 13th from 10th place on the Imola grid.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

Yet Briatore feels Colapinto justified his decision to demote Doohan back into a reserve role as the new Alpine racer produced similar lap times to Gasly’s in the Emilia Romagna GP. The pair took the finish line just 1.987 seconds apart after the safety car restart on Lap 54 of 63.

“You only stay in a company if you do a good job. If you do a bad job, you get fired,” Briatore told sport.de. “We have two drivers who have to do their jobs.

“Over a thousand people and their families depend on it. I’m just protecting the people who work for me. That’s why I choose the best possible driver for the car.

“If you look at Sunday’s times, you can see that he drove a similar time to Gasly. This is the first time our cars have been so close!”

Franco Colapinto failed to utilise his tyre advantage over Pierre Gasly at Imola

Colapinto was 7.350s behind Gasly when the virtual safety car period to recover the stricken Haas of Esteban Ocon started on L29 of the Emilia Romagna GP. He was even 2.361s behind the Frenchman before the full safety car to move Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes on L46.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan? All to know from girlfriend to dad

Colapinto’s early race pace at Imola impressed David Coulthard, too, as the F1 icon realised how similar the Argentine’s speed over the first eight laps was compared to Gasly’s. Yet the latter’s pace was mired as Gasly ran through the T17 gravel fighting Charles Leclerc over P9.

Their gaps were also legitimate margins after Alpine pitted Gasly on L9 and Colapinto on L22 for their first stops at Imola. Gasly made his second pit stop under the VSC on L29, whereas Alpine left Colapinto out until the safety car period on L46 which gave him a tyre advantage.

So, while they may have finished the Emilia Romagna GP close on the road at 1.987s, Alpine could actually have expected more from Colapinto than finishing behind Gasly given he had greater performance from his hard compound tyres than the hard tyres Gasly ran since L29.