F1 boss performs driver U-turn after mid-season axe threat as Franco Colapinto earns major Alpine praise
There was a time not too long ago when Franco Colapinto’s future in Formula 1 looked extremely uncertain, with Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore openly refusing to guarantee the Argentine driver a full season behind the wheel.
Now, however, the situation at Alpine F1 Team has changed dramatically.
After a difficult 2025 campaign filled with crashes, inconsistency and disappointment, Colapinto has produced a remarkable turnaround in form during the 2026 Formula 1 season, forcing Briatore into a complete rethink over the young driver’s long-term potential.
The 2025 season was a painful learning experience for Colapinto. Driving for an Alpine team that struggled badly throughout the year, the rookie failed to score a single championship point, ending the campaign as the only full-time driver on the grid without any points to his name.
While Alpine’s car was widely regarded as the weakest package in Formula 1, team-mate Pierre Gasly still managed to extract 22 points from the season, underlining the gap in performance between the two drivers at the time.
Colapinto’s repeated crashes also placed him under pressure internally, with speculation growing that Alpine could replace him before the end of the season if results failed to improve.
That uncertainty reached its peak ahead of the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix when Briatore delivered brutally honest comments regarding Colapinto’s future.
Speaking to reporters at the time, Briatore made it clear that Alpine’s priority was preparing for the sweeping regulation changes coming in 2026 rather than protecting any individual driver.
“I don’t know, honestly,” Briatore said when asked whether Colapinto would complete the season.
“I never tell five races, three races, four races, one race. We see. 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. So whatever experiment I need doing, we’re doing.
“I don’t know at this moment if Franco will stay for the season or not, but let’s see. Depends on the performance. We’re only looking at the performance nothing else.”
Those comments were widely interpreted as a clear warning to the Argentine driver that his Formula 1 career was hanging by a thread.
However, the start of the 2026 season has completely transformed both Colapinto’s reputation and Alpine’s competitive outlook.
The 22-year-old has delivered several mature and composed performances, including three points finishes already this season. Most notably, Colapinto secured back-to-back top-10 finishes with an impressive seventh-place result at the Miami Grand Prix before following it up with sixth place in Canada.
Those performances have significantly boosted Alpine’s fortunes in the constructors’ standings, with the Enstone-based outfit currently sitting fifth overall.
Colapinto now trails Gasly by just five points in the drivers’ championship, a massive improvement compared to the struggles he endured throughout his rookie campaign.
Perhaps more importantly for the Argentine, he now appears to have won over one of the toughest judges in the paddock.
Briatore’s latest comments paint a completely different picture from the harsh warnings delivered less than a year ago.
According to reports from respected Formula 1 journalist Jonathan Noble of [The Race], Briatore has now described Colapinto as a driver capable of reaching the very top level of Formula 1.
“Franco, honestly, I believe he has the talent to be one of the top drivers,” Briatore said.
The Alpine boss was particularly impressed by Colapinto’s performance during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, where the driver overcame technical difficulties early in the event before delivering one of his strongest performances yet.
“In Canada he’s done a super job,” Briatore explained.
“On Friday he did not do FP1 because he had a problem with the battery.
“Then he jumped in the car, qualified and got in the top ten. Stuff like this is not usual, not for a driver doing stuff like that.”
The comments represent a major vote of confidence from Briatore, whose reputation for making ruthless driver decisions has followed him throughout decades in Formula 1.
For Colapinto, the turnaround highlights just how quickly fortunes can change in the sport. Only months ago, he was being discussed as a potential mid-season casualty. Now, he is being praised as one of the grid’s emerging talents and a possible cornerstone of Alpine’s future project.
The timing could also be crucial for Alpine as the team prepares for the all-important 2026 regulations era. Consistency, technical feedback and driver development are expected to play a huge role in determining which teams adapt quickest to Formula 1’s new generation of machinery.
If Colapinto continues his upward trajectory, Alpine may finally have found a dependable long-term partner for Gasly as the team attempts to re-establish itself as a genuine midfield contender and potentially much more than that.