Briatore Sets Deadline for Colapinto

Franco Colapinto will arrive at the last races of the 2025 Formula 1 season knowing his future in the category. Whether for better or worse, the Argentine driver will know if he continues with the Alpine team before the last events of the championship take place.

This has been confirmed by Flavio Briatore, who for much of the year has been very critical of the 22-year-old driver from Pilar. However, in the last races, the Italian has seen signs of progress, which has led him to keep the door open for a renewal for the 2026 season.

Since the Belgian Grand Prix, Colapinto and Gasly are tied at two in both qualifying and race

Five Grand Prix to Earn a Renewal

After the Italian Grand Prix held last Sunday at the Monza circuit, Flavio Briatore acknowledged to the microphones of Sky TV that Franco Colapinto's chances of continuing with Alpine have increased in the last races.

"For now, I think Franco [Colapinto] is doing a good job," pointed out the executive advisor of Alpine. "At first, like many rookies, he lacked experience. In the last three or four races, he has shown much more consistency, without making mistakes."

Although Franco Colapinto has not yet managed to score any points since replacing Jack Doohan at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last May, in the last Grand Prix he has gained consistency and, even in Zandvoort, he was just shy of the tenth position, missing it by just half a second.

This leads Briatore to think that Colapinto is finally becoming comfortable with the car, so he will give him a few more races to earn his continuation with Alpine in 2026, when the new technical regulations come into effect.

"We still have four or five races left to make a final decision, and it will be then that we will see it," stated Briatore, who is very clear that he will not wait until winter to make a decision. "No, it will be before. The decision must be made in November," he reiterated.

This means that, at the latest, Franco Colapinto will know his future after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which takes place in the middle of that month. Subsequently, there will be two more events, those in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Gasly Will Remain the Team Leader

What is already clear is that Pierre Gasly has become the reference for the Alpine team. At least that is what Briatore and the rest of the team leaders think, as they have renewed his contract until the 2028 season.

This year, in comparison to Franco Colapinto, the Frenchman far surpasses the Argentine. Gasly has reached Q3 on eight occasions compared to none for his teammate. Additionally, he leads by 12-3 in the qualifying head-to-head, as well as 7-3 in the race (counting only those in which both have finished).

However, in the last four events, the situation is somewhat different. Since the Belgian Grand Prix, Colapinto and Gasly are tied at two in both qualifying and race. And this considering the team orders executed in Monza, when the team ordered the Argentine to give up his position to the Frenchman with nothing at stake.

Franco Colapinto still has options to keep his place in Formula 1 and, in addition, he will defend it on tracks he already knew last season during his brief stint with Williams: Baku, Singapore, Austin, Mexico, Brazil, and Las Vegas. Will he succeed?

Fotos: David Moreno / Motor.es