Franco Colapinto said that if it takes Carlos Sainz 10 races to get used to a car then he will need that and more as he is put under immediate pressure at Alpine.

The French outfit have given their new driver an initial contract of just five races, meaning he needs to hit the ground running if he does not want to suffer the same fate as Jack Doohan.

Franco Colapinto reacts to five-race Alpine contract

Many saw Colapinto replacing Doohan as inevitable but what few predicted was Colapinto to be given such a short deal with his current contract set to expire after the Austrian Grand Prix.

Asked specifically on the five-race length, Colapitno pointed out that it is unrealistic to expect him to be fully tuned into the car so quickly.

“I have a great opportunity ahead. I’m happy to be in F1, I don’t even think about five races,” he said ahead of his second debut at Imola. “I’m just in a happy place and I am dealing with it very well. I think at the moment, I just want to get back in the seat and drive,

“Of course, after you heard Carlos saying that he needs 10 races to get used to a car, I think five is not enough for me,

“I have driven nine in all my life in F1 so it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five, to get up to speed and maximize everything out of the car, but it is what I have.

“I just want to maximize it, enjoy it and try my best for the team.”

Colapinto was joined in the press conference by Oscar Piastri, a man who formerly was part of Alpine albeit never actually raced for them, and he suggested five races was not enough for anyone to show their potential.

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“I mean, it’s a tough situation all round,” he said.  “I think obviously, it was a short time in F1 for Jack.

“Franco’s coming in with these five races, which is also not easy circumstances to come back into F1 so I think it’s a tough situation.

“I think for Jack, you can be proud of what is achieved, still became an F1 driver, and no one can take that away from him. So it’s a difficult situation, but it’s not really for me to comment on.”

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