Alpine Team Leader Contradicts Promotion Timeline for Driver Franco Colapinto

Alpine team leader, Flavio Briatore, has contradicted the team’s earlier announcement regarding the promotion of reserve driver Franco Colapinto to a race seat for the next five Formula 1 races. The initial announcement was made on May 7, stating that Jack Doohan would be replaced by Colapinto for the same period due to his failure to score any points in the first six grands prix of the 2025 season.

Initial Announcement and Briatore’s Contradiction

The press release was clear about the timeline, mentioning “the next five races” and “the next five rounds.” However, Briatore has now stated that there is no set limit on Colapinto’s races. He emphasized that Colapinto needs to be fast, not crash, and score points, and if he does these three things well, he will drive forever.

Briatore also addressed the departure of team principal Oliver Oakes, stating that it occurred after Miami due to a personal issue. He clarified that there were no arguments between him and Oakes, and the team remains united. Despite being fully in charge of the Alpine F1 team, Briatore does not hold any specific position or job title, with racing director Dave Greenwood assigned as the team representative for administrative purposes.

Briatore explained that there is no change in the organizational structure, but he needs to assess the situation regarding the team principal role. He concluded on a light-hearted note, reminding everyone of his past successes with the outfit, having taken it to world titles in the 1990s and 2000s as Benetton and Renault.

Additional reporting by Gianluca D’Alessandro.