Franco Colapinto will be making the switch to Alpine for the 2025 Formula 1 season, having been released from his contract with Williams.
It comes after a brilliant debut for the Argentine in the final six races of 2024, in which he scored points at both Azerbaijan and US Grands Prix with opportunistic drives.
Although Colapinto could not help Williams secure a higher place in the Constructors’ Championship and ended up costing them millions in crash damage, he was still seen as an impressive talent.
Many F1 fans think Alpine signing Colapinto for 2025 puts Jack Doohan under pressure, who will need to impress in the opening races to keep his seat chances alive.
To make the move to Alpine happen, the team needed to pay Williams to secure his exit from the current contract. Executive advisor Flavio Briatore is said to have facilitated the move according to a report from Gazetta.it.
Flavio Briatore helped ‘facilitate’ deal that saw Franco Colapinto’s sponsors pay for Williams exit
While the actual amount is undisclosed, Alpine is rumoured to have paid Williams £8.4m to release Colapinto from Williams.
According to the report from Gazetta, Briatore was a key proponent in the deal to make the move for Colapinto to happen and was given help from his sponsors to pay the exit fee almost immediately to Williams.
Alpine is likely to have a seat available for Colapinto for 2026, although the Argentine has set his sights on a seat for 2025. This is due Doohan’s contract only running for the first six races initially, as the team evaluates whether to continue.
The French outfit is backing Doohan despite the rumours, but it is hard to imagine they would want to keep him on the sidelines for too long.
Alpine stand to gain financial benefit from Franco Colapinto
Part of the reason why Williams wanted to keep Colapinto on their books was due to the influx of sponsors that joined them when he made his race seat debut.
James Vowles said Williams received a boost in sponsorship deals from Argentina when they signed Colapinto, making him a lucrative asset.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Alpine driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats
Colapinto is said to bring in at least £25 million to a team through his sponsors, which would help Alpine recouperate some of its losses from finishing low down the competitive order.
Alpine is currently amidst a transitional period, as the team gets rid of its in-house engine department at Renault after 2025 in favour of running Mercedes power units from 2026.
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