Franco Colapinto has offered an honest assessment of his underwhelming opening races with Alpine ahead of the Canadian GP.
Three races into his rumoured five-race stint at Alpine, Franco Colapinto is enduring a challenging time. Yet to score a point, his tenure with the Enstone-based team has been marred by crashes and below-par performances.
After a dramatic qualifying crash scuppered his chances at Imola, further misfortune would follow at Monaco and Barcelona.
Although he kept his car out of the barriers, his pace was significantly behind team-mate Pierre Gasly. Finishing a lowly 13th in Monaco, he had a technical failure during qualifying for the Spanish GP, relegating him to the back of the grid at a track not known for overtaking.
Franco Colapinto focused on understanding issues ahead of Canadian GP
Speaking during the Thursday driver press conference, Franco Colapinto gave an honest answer when asked about his performances.
“They were tough. They were not, of course, maybe as I was expecting. I was expecting to do a bit more progress after Imola, but it’s always tough to get back into F1 after six races of not being there.
The Argentine also offered insight into the lessons learned from the triple header with Alpine.
“The drivers learned a lot, tyre management, and when you are not driving it’s really tricky. But I think it was really good, this break, this week off to get back with the team, to get back together and understand the issues, understand what we have to do better, where we were lacking some pace and where I can improve as well.
“So, it was good. I think it was a good break and hopefully it brings some performance for now.
Asked about the differences between the Williams and Alpine, Colapinto said he was “learning a lot” about his car.
“It’s very different. When I came into Williams last year, the only comparison I got was that. I never even drove another Formula 1 car.
“So I couldn’t really compare it to anything else, whereas now I have got that. In Alpine I’m learning a lot. There are many good things.
“There are some things that are different. The car is very different to drive as well, and it’s just getting up to speed with that and trying to understand what’s the weakest way around it.”
Colapinto has also set his sights on ending his points drought in Canada, but was realistic about the prospect. He remains one of only three drivers yet to score a point in 2025, with Jack Doohan ironically sharing the unenviable stat.
“I don’t know. Points? Points would be great. I think if we can get back up there, get a bit more of the performance of the car – that I’m sure it has – I would be really happy. So I think we have to start by getting to where we need, focusing on us and then think about the rest.”
