Franco Colapinto Joins Alpine for His First Grand Prix Since Abu Dhabi 2021

This weekend, Franco Colapinto is set to compete in his first grand prix since the Abu Dhabi race last year. He’s taken Jack Doohan’s race seat at Alpine, a move that comes amidst the team’s turbulent history and recent changes in leadership.

Alpine’s Troubled Past and Recent Developments

The Enstone-based organization has been notorious for operational chaos since its acquisition by Renault in 2016. It has undergone a total rebrand, numerous technical directors, and senior management changes. Most recently, the former team principal Flavio Briatore returned as ‘executive advisor’, with Oliver Oakes stepping into the team principal role from his own Hitech organization. However, Oakes stepped down last week, just before Colapinto’s swap with Doohan was announced, leaving many to speculate about any connection between these events.

The latest turn of events has done little to dispel the impression of a team in crisis. But James Vowles, who nurtured Colapinto as part of Williams‘ young driver program and elevated him to a race seat last year before releasing him to become Alpine’s test and reserve driver, believes Colapinto can still thrive in such an environment.

The Value of Learning in Challenging Environments

Is it in a turbulent time? Yes, no doubt about it,” Vowles told select media including Motorsport.com. “Will they [Alpine] be supportive to Pierre [Gasly] and Franco? Yes, I think they will as well because they’re still the elite athletes that are driving for them in order to score the most points you can.

Vowles further explained that even in turbulent times, teams usually continue to support their drivers. He believes the learning experience in such an environment is invaluable and can only make Colapinto stronger. “It’s time on track, it’s time in a difficult environment – and if you come out of it, you’ll only be stronger as a result. And Franco is strong, so I think it’s still the right place for him to be at this stage,” he added.

Colapinto’s Future Remains Uncertain

Despite showing impressive pace in nine grands prix for Williams last year, Colapinto had no immediate prospects of racing for that team again since it had already recruited Carlos Sainz to join Alex Albon. Shifting teams was a better option as it was widely rumored that Doohan’s contract only guaranteed a set number of races before his position was reassessed.

Colapinto has been given a ‘window’ of five races, so his future is far from guaranteed. “There’s a reason we were really happy to do a transaction with Alpine,” said Vowles, “because I really do think it’s his best chance of being in a racing seat, either in 2025 – or we thought, more specifically, ’26.

Vowles expressed pride over Colapinto’s progress and his role in helping him reach the grid. He believes that irrespective of any deadlines set by Alpine, Colapinto will do a good job during this period.