Colapinto admits five-race stint makes it tough to maximize Alpine chance

Franco Colapinto admits he doesn't feel five races are enough for him to get the most out of his new Formula 1 opportunity with Alpine, despite being given that timeframe as Jack Doohan’s replacement ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Alpine dropped Doohan after six rounds of the new season in order to promote Colapinto from his reserve role, but stated it would be carrying out another driver evaluation after the next five races. Given Imola will be Colapinto’s first time driving the 2025 Alpine, he says he’s not expecting to be able to maximize the car’s potential so quickly but is pleased to get the chance to show what he can do.

“I have a great opportunity ahead -- I'm happy to be back in F1,” Colapinto said. “I don't even think about the five races, I'm just in a happy place and I am dealing with it very well, I think, at the moment. I just want to get back in the seat and drive.

“You heard Carlos [Sainz], I think, saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to the car. I think five is not enough for me -- it probably takes me a few more races to get up to speed and maximize everything out of the car, but it is what I have.”

Colapinto acknowledged how tough the driver swap will have been for Doohan, but is focusing on his own challenges after only completing testing of previous car (TPC) running -- most recently last week at Zandvoort -- since last driving for Williams in 2024.

“I'm really excited -- everything is new again. We start from zero," he said. "It wasn’t the nicest to be [watching] … after doing the last nine races of last year and then having to step out. It was not what I wanted, but it was a good time to reflect on what happened and to learn from it.

“So, I’m happy to be back. Of course, it's never nice circumstances when it happens like this, when you step into another driver's seat, but you never really choose the moment you get in Formula 1. I just take it, try to do my best and try to maximize the job for the team."

The Argentine driver emphasized he's been preparing for his Alpine debut as much as possible beyond his TPC runs.

“There has been a lot of work in the background. Apart from the last couple of days, also before," he said. "I’ve been doing a lot of sim work for the team. Of course, not trackside but still helping the team to try to develop the car during race weekends.

“It has helped me a bit to learn the car, the tools, the different settings the team is running, because I’m not very used to it. It’s quite a big switch from one team to another, so it has been helpful.

“And then the prep since it got announced has been very strong. We’ve been doing a lot of things in the sim. So I’m happy. It's been a really long time since I’ve been in a race weekend. A bit rusty maybe, but I think it’s going to come off very quickly.”