Franco Colapinto sat on the sidelines for six Grands Prix weekends after a successful stint with Williams. The Argentine moved to Alpine in 2025 in hopes of soon finding an opportunity to race as a regular driver.
That call arrived ahead of the race weekend in Imola as rookie Australian driver Jack Doohan failed to impress the French team’s top brass. Colapinto, as thrilled as he was to get back into regular action, failed to get on with a good start.
The 21-year-old had a heavy crash at the infamous Tamburello curve — the same area that tragically claimed Ayrton Senna’s life in 1994. Regardless, Colapinto made it into Q2 but couldn’t register a lap time owing to the damage his car endured.
Thankfully, the Alpine crew got the car into working condition before the start of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Colapinto, however, could not manage to make much of the opportunity. He finished P16 after starting in the same spot.
Despite having nothing to show for progress, Colapinto adjudged his Imola race to be a bittersweet experience. The South American driver believes he got unlucky with the timing of the VSC. However, the rest of the race was a good one for him.
“It was good, it was a good day, overall. I think [there was] good pace in the car, good tyre management. Overall, I think a lot of learning and a lot of work still to do, but it was a decent day. Started with a very long stint on the medium and the tyre kept doing very well, which I was quite happy with because it was tricky to manage,” Colapinto said in the print media pen after the F1 Imola GP.
“Then we were on a good strategy I would say. And then the VSC killed me a little bit. We were quite unlucky with the VSC. And then it started to become a bit more of a tricky race, but I’m very happy with the first half,” he added.
Colapinto confident of redemption at Monaco GP after Imola F1 struggles
Doohan had a six-race stint to prove himself worthy of the Alpine seat beside Pierre Gasly. His replacement may not have gotten off to a flyer in Imola, but he needs to find his feet as early as possible. That is because of a reported five-race deadline hanging over his head.
Fortunately, Colapinto appears more confident against the upcoming challenge, the Monaco GP. The Argentine believes the track will suit Alpine better.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s a track that can be a bit better for us, so let’s see how it goes,” Colapinto concluded.
This confidence should come in handy for a tricky Monaco circuit. The narrow track demands superior concentration levels to ace qualifying laps. Smallest of errors could see him in the barriers in back-to-back qualifying sessions.
