Latest news with #FrancoColapinto
Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Franco Colapinto Gets Alpine F1 Future Clarity After Shaky Start
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There is another twist in the Franco Colapinto saga - Alpine is reportedly keeping him on the team for the remainder of the season. Colapinto's shaky start in the Alpine seat has raised questions about his future, particularly since senior advisor Flavio Briatore appears non-committal to the Argentine's future. Those doubts are quelled for the time being as Renault Argentina CEO Pablo Sibilla answered a question about Colapinto's future. An Argentine broadcaster asked if Colapinto's seat is secure for more than a couple of races. Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Alpine F1 looks on in the Pitlane during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Alpine F1 looks on in the Pitlane during the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2025 in Northampton, England. Photo by"Yes, end of year," Sibilla responded. Sibilla's statement comes during an uncertain period for Colapinto. Rumors suggest he could be replaced for the Belgian Grand Prix, but he appears calm when speaking to the media at Silverstone. "I'm not very concerned," he said. "Of course, there is always talks. I just need to keep working and trying to help the team to improve the car." Colapinto replaced Australian Jack Doohan for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, but he is yet to score points and has made it out of Q2 just once in his first six races. Also, an alarming trend from his time at Williams is carrying over to Alpine - Colapinto is having incidents on track, which are setting him back further. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Briatore began doubting Colapinto in public. "If Colapinto is performing, he's driving the car. If not, we'll see - 2025 is a year we need to prepare ourselves for 2026," Briatore said. "So whatever experiment I need doing, we're doing. I don't know if Franco will stay for the season, but let's see. Depends on the performance. "We're only looking at the performance - nothing else." In fairness to Colapinto, he has battled technical issues in the car and rough luck, which hampered him in races. He didn't even start the British Grand Prix due to one of these issues - fully capturing the rough luck and poor performances this season. If Sibilla is correct and the Argentine stays in the Alpine, Colapinto must perform and impress the demanding Briatore. Some of his luck should eventually start to turn, but he must get to grips with the car or risk getting replaced by Valtteri Bottas or Paul Aron. More F1 news: How Lewis Hamilton Made the F1 Movie Production More Expensive For more F1 news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Daily Mirror
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
F1 star's dad fumes at critics in social media post after British GP trolling
Franco Colapinto is battling to save his Formula 1 career after a series of poor performances since replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine just six rounds into the season Franco Colapinto's father has hit back at social media trolls for targeting the under-pressure Alpine driver in the wake of his Silverstone nightmare. Colapinto, who impressed during his brief stint at Williams last season, replaced Jack Doohan in the Renault-owned team just six rounds in 2025. However, he is now under pressure himself after a string of underwhelming performances and crashes. Colapinto had a disastrous weekend at the British Grand Prix, crashing in Q1 and then starting the race from the pitlane. With the track wet but drying, he was among the drivers to gamble by pitting for slicks at the end of the formation lap. However, he failed to re-emerge from the pits due to what the team called a 'driveline' issue. It was unclear whether the car or Colapinto was to blame for the issue. The weekend came at the worst possible time for the 22-year-old, who could be replaced, with Alpine approaching Mercedes over the availability of vastly experienced reserve driver Valtteri Bottas. The Finn, a long-time teammate of Lewis Hamilton before being replaced by George Russell in 2022, is eager to get back into a race seat after being dropped by Sauber at the end of last season. He could get the chance at Alpine this season, potentially before the summer break, which begins after the Hungarian Grand Prix at the beginning of August. Given Colapinto's struggles, he has come in for stinging criticism from trolls on social media, prompting his dad, Anibal, to hit back. Colapinto Sr posted on Instagram: 'Don't feel bad when someone speaks ill of you. Remember that successful people are criticized by mediocre and envious people.' Adding to Colapinto's Silverstone frustration, he saw Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly take an excellent sixth place. The Argentine said: "I'm sad and frustrated for having ended the weekend like this, which had started well compared to Pierre, and I'm a bit sad about how it ended. 'It was a good race seeing everything that happened: the rain, tyre changes, and all the weather conditions that made the race changeable. 'I think during this weekend I was faster than Pierre and seeing where he is now finishing, maybe we had a good opportunity. We have to keep working focused on what's coming, but it's a shame not being able to even start. It makes me very angry. 'There were many opportunities. I would have loved to be in the race and try something. A bit of frustration for not even being able to start is something no driver wants.' It remains to be seen whether Colapinto will still be in the car when the F1 season resumes with the Belgium Grand Prix at Spa at the end of July.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS CHAOS in the British Grand Prix: Three drivers are forced to retire in opening laps and virtual safety car is deployed after crash at treacherous Silverstone
Chaos unfolded in the opening few laps of the British Grand Prix after three drivers were forced to retire and the safety car was deployed. Liam Lawson, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto were all forced out of the rain-sodden race at Silverstone and more downpours are expected. The black clouds rolled over the circuit for the start of the showpiece and Racing Bulls driver Lawson was the first to limp back to the garage on the opening lap, having collided with Esteban Ocon and been squeezed by Yuki Tsunoda. Colapinto, who started in the pit lane, stalled out on track and was summoned back to the pits, while Bortoleto's day was brought to an early end after his lime green Sauber veered off on his slick tyres and skidded onto the gravel. More to follow. Full footage of the accident between Esteban Ocon and Liam Lawson! #F1 #Formula1 #BritishGP — Extreme Cars (@extremecars__) July 6, 2025
Newsweek
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Franco Colapinto Suffers Major British GP Qualifying Setback
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Alpine driver Franco Colapinto faced a major setback during Q1 of the British Grand Prix qualifying session at Silverstone. The Argentine driver spun out at high speed, causing him to slide into the gravel and clip the barriers. Colapinto lost the rear of his Alpine A525 F1. Restarting the car, he then had to pull over at the pit exit, triggering a red flag when there were 6:49 minutes to go. He said on the radio, "I lost the rears," when interim team principal Flavio Briatore was seen covering his face with his hands. Qualifying in 20th place for Sunday's race, here's what Colapinto said after ending his run: "Yeah, I just lost the rear in the last corner, and I clipped the wall. Franco Colapinto of Argentina driving the (43) Alpine A525 on track spins during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom. Franco Colapinto of Argentina driving the (43) Alpine A525 on track spins during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 5, 2025 in Northampton, United Kingdom."I'm still struggling. So, a bit of a pity. We started running a lot with the car to improve a bit. "We found a lot of things. I think we can work to make me feel a bit better with the car, closer to Pierre. But of course, we are still far, so we need to do a couple of steps for the next races." When asked if the tricky weather conditions led to the incident, Colapinto said: "There was quite a bit of rain from Turn 15 onwards, and I think that made it a bit... yeah, I don't really know. I didn't see, I just went." He added: "I think I just went on the curb and then the rear... maybe it was a bit— I don't really know. I have to watch." Given his performance concerns in the recent races, he was asked if there were concerns about not being in the car for the next race at Spa Francorchamps. Colapinto said: "I'm not very concerned. Of course, there are always talks, but I just need to keep working and trying to get the team to improve the car. Today was not ideal. We made some good steps." When asked about the setup on his car, the Alpine driver said: "It works with... now, I don't really know at the moment if it's going to work in the race. We'll try to, of course, make some steps forward for the race tomorrow and try to make something happen." Colapinto was the only driver to have spun out during qualifying. Max Verstappen went on to secure pole position for the British Grand Prix, followed by McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in P2 and P3.
TimesLIVE
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Piastri says Alpine radio rant was out of frustration
McLaren's Formula One championship leader Oscar Piastri says cursing at former employers Alpine over the radio at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix was just a humorous way of expressing his frustration. The Australian made a comment after having to go off-track to avoid Renault-owned Alpine's Argentine driver Franco Colapinto. 'Alpine still managed to find a way to [expletive] me over, all these years later, huh?' he told race engineer Tom Stallard in an exchange not broadcast on television at the time. Piastri told Reuters at a McLaren fan event in London's Trafalgar Square on Wednesday that his swearing had just been spur-of-the-moment. 'It was just kind of a frustrating coincidence. My qualifying got hampered by an Alpine. I got impeded in the race by both the Alpines. So it was kind of just a build-up of a few things,' he said. 'And it was more out of frustration.
