Jacques Villeneuve tells Franco Colapinto the one ‘big question’ he must now answer at Alpine

Jacques Villeneuve is interested to see what Franco Colapinto can deliver after Alpine replaced Jack Doohan ahead of going to Imola with a ‘big question’ hanging over him.

The Argentine has taken over the Australian’s seat for the next five rounds of the season, as Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore wants to see what Colapinto can offer after Doohan failed to earn a point. The 22-year-old also did not finish a race higher than his P13 in China.

Pierre Gasly did manage to record seven points in the first six rounds of the 2025 F1 season. But Doohan’s plight leaves Alpine in just ninth place in the F1 constructors’ standings ahead of this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, with only Sauber (6) recording fewer.

Jacques Villeneuve questions if Alpine have a fast driver or a ‘crasher’ in Franco Colapinto

Yet while Alpine have confirmed Colapinto for just the next five rounds, with Briatore due to review his team’s driver line-up again before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Villeneuve still questions what kind of driver the Renault-owned crew have now replaced Doohan with.

Red Bull showed an interest in signing Colapinto from Williams last year, but they ultimately backed off after his expensive crashes at the Sao Paulo and Las Vegas Grands Prix. So, the 1997 F1 champion wants to know if Colapinto can dial out his crashes without losing speed.

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

Villeneuve said on Sky Sports F1 (16/05, 12:09): “He’s fast, but he’s also a crasher. So, which Franco will we get? It’s always a toss of the dice. You just don’t know.

“So, will he be able to be as fast without crashing, or will he have to slow down to not crash? That’s the big question, and we’ll find out because he’s had a year out to digest.”

Alpine will not want Franco Colapinto crashing constantly after Jack Doohan’s expensive repair bill

Villeneuve is not alone in wanting to see if Colapinto can overcome the crashes he produced with Williams after the Argentine replaced Doohan at Alpine. His list of shunts last year have seen Anthony Davidson believe Colapinto must iron out his crashes to keep the Alpine drive.

Colapinto and Alex Albon cost Williams seven figures in Brazil last year during his nine-round cameo between replacing Logan Sargeant and Carlos Sainz’s arrival. He ruined his car with a crash in qualifying and again as Colapinto crashed behind the safety car in the Sao Paulo GP.

Still, despite the Buenos Aires native also crashing during qualifying in Sin City, Alpine paid Williams £8.5m to sign Colapinto to be a reserve driver. And, as Doohan cost Alpine more in repairs than any F1 driver in 2025 so far, his chance to race with the team starts from Imola.