Franco Colapinto seen ‘deep in conversation’ with surprise suitor at Qatar Grand Prix as move now ‘likely’

Franco Colapinto has been very impressive at Williams alongside Alex Albon but is under pressure without a contract for 2025.

The Argentine has shown good speed since he made his debut at the Italian Grand Prix, only making a tiny mistake at Lesmo 2 in qualifying.

Colapinto has bounced back from errors such as in Azerbaijan when he scored an eighth-place finish after a damaging crash in practice.

The Williams driver has had a series of crashes in recent races with multiple incidents at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend.

Formula 2 drivers may be hoping Colapinto stops crashing as it can be a risk for an F1 team to sign a rookie with relatively little experience.

Last time out in Las Vegas, he suffered a 50G impact in qualifying, which forced him to start the Grand Prix from the pit lane.

Colapinto is searching for a seat for next year and was spotted in the paddock talking with one key member of a Formula 1 team.

Franco Colapinto was spotted talking to Alpine special supervisor Flavio Briatore

Colapinto was seen talking to Flavio Briatore in the paddock over the Qatar Grand Prix weekend who re-joined the Alpine team earlier this season.

The Italian was integral to Fernando Alonso’s career when he moved into Formula 1 and they combined to win world championships.

Colapinto is having to look outside of the Williams team for a drive next season as the British outfit is committed to Albon and Carlos Sainz.

The pair were conversating and Thomas Maher tweeted that there are still rumours circulating around Colapinto joining Alpine.

Alpine have improved in recent races and have Pierre Gasly signed for 2025 alongside the Australian rookie Jack Doohan.

He has been embedded in the Alpine team for multiple seasons as a reserve driver but may have some performance clauses in his contract.

Franco Colapinto may be a good option for Alpine in 2025

Colapinto has shown he can compete in Formula 1, as he has already scored points despite being promoted at short notice midway through the season.

The Argentine needs to cut out the errors he has been making in the last few races as he gathers more experience.

It would be a very tough call to drop Doohan during the season next year as he hasn’t yet had the opportunity to prove himself.

Alpine have improved over the final few races and are battling for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship with Haas and RB.