Franco Colapinto has 5 races to impress Alpine and earn his spot in the team for the rest of the season. After the Miami Grand Prix, Alpine announced that Colapinto, who was initially their reserve driver, would be replacing James Vowles from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. However, Alpine has set a deadline of 5 races for the Argentine driver.
Colapinto was introduced to Formula 1 by Williams Racing last year. After James Vowles squad decided to replace Logan Sargeant after the Dutch Grand Prix, they brought in Colapinto from their academy. Since he took on the blue racing outfit, Franco impressed everyone in the paddock by scoring points in just his second race of the season.
Now, Colapinto has to prove that he is worthy of a permanent seat at Alpine in these next 5 races. His former team principal, James Vowles, thinks this will not be a problem for him.
Vowles confident in Franco Colapinto’s pace despite Alpine pressure
Ahead of Colapinto’s debut with Alpine in Imola, Vowles spoke about his former driver, specifically on his pace.
“What you saw with us is (that) he got up to speed very quickly. I know he’s immensely quick, so I think irrespective of whatever deadline they’ve set, he’ll do a good job in that period of time.”
🚨 | Franco Colapinto on returning to F1:
“Really excited, everything is new – I start from zero,” says Colapinto when he is asked about being back.”
“I’ve had a chance to reflect on last year and learn from it. Never nice circumstances to step into a driver’s seat but you… pic.twitter.com/7Ocfj0B2hT
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 15, 2025
To understand how quick Colapinto was in his rookie year, he scored 5 points in a span of 9 races with a backfield car, while his predecessor managed to score only 1 point over the course of 2 years. Judging from his time at Williams, we can assume that Colapinto should be able to get adjusted to Alpine’s car quickly. Now the only question is whether he can impress the Enstone-based team.
This year, Alpine wants to be in that mid-field battle with Williams. As it stands, Williams looks strong to take 5th place in the Constructors’ Championship. However, Alpine will want to give them a fight until the last race of the season. In order to do this, they need Colapinto to score points along with Gasly.
Franco Colapinto excited for Alpine debut at Imola
Ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Colapinto gave his thoughts on returning to F1 in 2025.
“Really excited, everything is new – I start from zero,” says Colapinto when he is asked about being back.
“I’ve had a chance to reflect on last year and learn from it. Never nice circumstances to step into a driver’s seat but you can’t choose the circumstances you enter F1. You just have to make the most of it.”
What Franco Colapinto Needs to Do to Secure a Full-Time Seat With Alpine
Heading into the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Colapinto feels that he is starting from zero, as this is a completely new car to him. Although he drove for 9 races last year, the Alpine A290 is completely different from last year’s Williams.
It will be interesting to see how Franco copes with the car and if he is able to score points. His objective in Imola would be to just get into grips with the car. If he is able to do that, he could complete for points before his deadline approaches.
Do you think Franco Colapinto will do enough to secure the Alpine seat for the rest of the season? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
