Franco Colapinto was left surprised by one thing Alpine did behind the scenes before F1 return

Franco Colapinto is embarking on his first weekend as an Alpine F1 driver at Imola. The Argentine has replaced Jack Doohan after a disappointing first six races of 2025.

The Aussie failed to score points in the first six Grand Prix, with several heavy crashes hampering his progression. Flavio Briatore had been pushing to get Colapinto into the seat, having played a key role in signing him from Williams.

After Oliver Oakes’ resignation as Alpine team principal, it seemed that the driver swap was bound to happen, with the announcement coming the next day. However, Oakes’ exit has nothing to do with Doohan’s demotion, with Briatore taking issue with the rumours.

Colapinto has now been afforded another chance in F1, having replaced Logan Sargeant in the final nine races of 2024. Scoring five points in that time, the 21-year-old has the experience of performing in midfield machinery, which he will look to carry at Alpine.

The Argentine has already had an immense impact on the team with his following and sponsors from his home nation. The paddock at Imola was covered in Argentine flags even when there were no fans present, highlighting his commercial impact.

Franco Colapinto did not expect to get the call from Alpine to return to F1 so soon

Colapinto has been doing extensive testing behind the scenes in the simulator and in TPC outings, waiting for an opportunity to get behind the wheel of the A525. But despite the rumours surrounding Doohan’s future, he did not expect the call to come this soon.

Speaking with Lawrence Barretto on the official F1 website, the Argentine is ready for the opportunity at Alpine, but admitted he did not think he would be replacing Doohan ‘this soon’.

Asked if he expected to be in the car for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, he replied: “Not really, not this soon. I was really just trying to maximise every time I had in the simulator, every time in those few test days that I’ve done and just try to do the best job that I could.

“But it’s never the best way to jump in an F1 car, but there’s also never a notice of when it’s going to become your time.

“I think whenever that opportunity comes, you have to grab it and take whatever it takes. It’s a tough sport, I think it’s very harsh sometimes.

“It’s my second time that I’ve come in the middle of the year, it’s not maybe the best situation because our rivals are many, many more races ahead, on tyre knowledge, car knowledge, evolution-wise and those kinds of things.

“I think I have experience to try to extract the maximum out of the car in a couple of races and I’m just going to work towards that.”

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

Franco Colapinto and Alpine should be worried about their driver swap for different reasons

While Alpine’s driver swap will bring significant financial backing from Colapinto, there are some concerns surrounding the move. For the team, they have swapped one crash-prone driver for another.

Colapinto had multiple accidents at Williams in what was a damaging season for the team. Some Alpine staff were not keen on signing Colapinto, presumably for his tendency to have accidents, a trait that Doohan also possessed.

Alpine cannot afford to make any more mistakes from their drivers, especially when they are struggling to score points. Pierre Gasly has only amassed seven points for the team thus far.

For Colapinto, he is under pressure to stay on the F1 grid. Alpine have only given him five races to prove himself, with the Enstone outfit set to reassess their driver pool come the British Grand Prix.

Colapinto ‘knows’ Briatore has lined up Paul Aron to replace him if he fails to deliver. Unlike his spell at Williams, he must show strong performance if he wants to stay beyond the next five events.