Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto has been at the centre of plenty of discourse in the Formula 1 paddock this year, despite not currently having a race seat.
Franco Colapinto quickly rose to prominence last year when Williams called him up to replace Logan Sargeant, and he scored five points in nine Grand Prix.
However, the young Argentinian knew that it was only ever a short-term gig, with team principal James Vowles delighted that he had secured Carlos Sainz to race alongside Alex Albon in 2025.
Sainz has struggled during his first races with Williams, but in search of a race seat this year, Colapinto decided to join Alpine as a reserve driver.
Colapinto has just proved to be Alpine’s fastest back-up driver, after the team also signed Paul Aron and Kush Maini this year, while Ryo Hirakawa has already moved on to race for Haas after taking part in FP1 for Alpine at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Jack Doohan is under pressure at Alpine after just a few races which could provide Colapinto with the opportunity he needs to return to racing.
However, he’s admitted that another team in the paddock moved too slowly to sign him as they debated what to do with their driver line-up in 2025.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Franco Colapinto? Everything to know
Franco Colapinto says Red Bull ‘fell asleep’ before signing for Alpine
The Argentinian driver was talking to the Nude Project Podcast about his current position in Formula 1.
Colapinto was asked about the rumours linking him to Racing Bulls following the dramatic swap that took place between Lawson and Tsunoda.
Towards the end of last season, Colapinto was considered an option by Red Bull, however, he’s now explained: “I am an Alpine driver, and I have a contract with the team, with Alpine.
| DRIVER | ROLE |
| Franco Colapinto | Reserve driver |
| Paul Aron | Reserve driver |
| Kush Maini | Reserve driver/Formula 2 |
| Gabriele Mini | Formula 2 |
| Nicola Lacorte | Formula 3 |
“I am working with them and I hope for an opportunity in that team.
“They made a huge effort to have me, I mean, if the other guys fell asleep now, it’s too late.
“Obviously, I want to [be back racing].”
READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
Franco Colapinto explains the issues he had at Williams last season
Although Colapinto is very highly rated in the paddock, his nine-race stint at the end of last year contained a few hiccups.
He wasn’t quite as quick as teammate Alex Albon throughout the majority of the race weekends and had several high-profile crashes.
Red Bull ended their interest in Colapinto after his massive shunt in Las Vegas and speaking about his experiences he said: “At the end of last year, I broke it [the car], I had some big crashes,” and the 21-year-old was then asked if he has to pay for the damage if he breaks anything and replied, “Luckily not, because I would have blown it last year!
Big impact for Franco Colapinto but he’s okay and out of the car 👍#F1 #LasVegasGP pic.twitter.com/glPNzell1L
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 23, 2024
“I mean, it cost the team a lot last year when you crashed because there is a budget limit, and obviously, when the team have a couple of crashes that are very expensive, that costs the team.
“I started very well in Monza, I finished 12th, going faster than my teammate, then in Baku, which was the second race, I reached Q3 with a Williams.
“I scored points [in Baku], the car was going very well that race, and I finished ahead of my teammate in qualifying.
“Alex is a very good driver, luckily, I got along quite well with Alex.”
