Two weekends ago in Imola, Franco Colapinto was given the opportunity to replace Jack Doohan at Alpine.

After showing flashes of great pace in last year’s outings with Williams, the start of a new adventure in the fastest racing series didn’t quite go to plan for the young Argentine. So, the question stands – is Colapinto really the right decision for Alpine?

A Rough Start in Alpine

Before Colapinto’s official return to Formula 1, signs were already pointing towards such a move — due to Jack Doohan’s underwhelming results and certain comments from Alpine’s upper management.

And, on paper, the switch made sense. Franco had left a solid impression in his Williams appearances last season. However, his first race with Alpine didn’t quite go to script.

In Imola, Colapinto was eliminated in Q1 after losing control in Sector 1 and ending up in the barriers — meanwhile, his teammate made it into the top 10. Not the kind of debut you hope for.

His next chance came in Monaco — a circuit that isn’t exactly representative of car performance, and one where the primary goal for young drivers is simply to bring the car back in one piece. That’s precisely what Franco did — after qualifying dead last. That said, Alpine was poor across the board in Monaco, as evidenced by Gasly only managing P18 in qualifying.

You could say Colapinto’s timing for a return to F1 was, unfortunately, not ideal.

F1 2025 head-to-head standings

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

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

Next Stop: Barcelona

The next stop is Barcelona — a track that, until recently, served as a regular testing venue and one every driver on the grid knows extremely well. It’s the perfect place to assess how Franco is adapting in Alpine.

Friday gave us two hours of practice running, but unfortunately for the rookie, the results still don’t look promising. Colapinto was last in both FP1 and FP2. For comparison, his teammate Gasly finished FP2 in eighth, just over six-tenths behind Piastri’s fastest lap.

Clearly, the performance is there — so where exactly is Colapinto struggling?

Franco had two push laps during FP2 but failed to go quicker than a 1:14.303 — over 1.5 seconds off the pace.

Comparing the two Alpine drivers’ fastest laps, we can see Colapinto consistently losing time to Gasly. The most significant gaps appear in the high-speed corners, indicating Franco still lacks trust in the car.

The problems begin as early as Turn 2, where Franco applies noticeably less throttle and drops around three-tenths. As the speed graph shows, there’s a substantial difference in apex speed at that point. Despite a minor mistake from Gasly in Turn 4, Franco managed to match his teammate through the middle sector.

After the second DRS zone, more differences emerge — Gasly brakes harder into Turn 10, which allows him to carry more speed through the corner and gain time on exit. According to telemetry, Franco lost another three-tenths here alone.

A similar pattern emerges in the final corner, where Franco once again lifts more than necessary.

All of this suggests that the young Argentine is still not fully confident in the car — especially in high-speed sections where precision and commitment are critical. Without trust in the machinery beneath you, it’s easy to end up either slow or in the barriers.

Flavio Briatore’s comments following Imola likely didn’t help either — saying he expects young drivers to “simply avoid crashing, be quick, and bring points to the team.” Easier said than done.

Colapinto knows this may be his last shot at making it in Formula 1, and the pressure is immense — but the same goes for every rookie, of which there are plenty on the grid this season.

During the second half of FP2, Colapinto focused on a race simulation using the hard tyres. Over the course of eight laps, his average lap time was just over 1:21. He was the only driver to run the hardest compound during this session, which makes direct comparisons difficult.

What we can expect from Franco is improvement — nothing more, nothing less. Young drivers need time, and we can only hope Alpine gives him enough of it. Based on last year’s outings, he’s certainly earned that much.

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