Colapinto Struggling To Handle F1 Pressure – Briatore

Flavio Briatore is not yet ready to rave about the performance so far of his latest Formula 1 protege – Franco Colapinto.

When Alpine ousted Jack Doohan recently and installed fellow rookie Colapinto in the car, team advisor Briatore was quoted in the press release as saying the young Argentine was only guaranteed five races.

However, he quickly told journalists in the paddock that there is no five-race limit for Colapinto.

“For me, it’s a huge compliment to know that Flavio was the one who believed in me,” Colapinto, 21, told Spanish-language reporters in Barcelona. “Just like he believed in Fernando (Alonso).

“He (Briatore) is a legend. There’s this feeling that he’s pushing the team back to the top, where it deserves to be.”

However, Imola was a particularly bad Alpine debut for Colapinto, characterised by a huge crash – a strict contradiction of Briatore’s pre-race goal for the youngster.

Monaco was not much better, but he says he’s just getting up to speed.

“It’s going to take a couple of races,” Colapinto said in Barcelona. “After listening to Carlos (Sainz) and Lewis (Hamilton), who changed teams, they still don’t feel like they’re reaching the car’s top speed.

“So I think there’s a lot more to come from me soon.”

It’s notable, however, that 75-year-old Briatore is no longer raving about Colapinto. When asked if he already has the ideal driver pairing at Alpine, the Italian shook his head.

“The easiest way to win is to sign Max Verstappen, but we can’t do that,” said the Italian. “So we have to make do with what we have.”

Briatore called Pierre Gasly “very good, but he needs to be a bit more focused”.

“But in a good car he can be a top driver. You either have speed or you don’t. And Pierre has it,” Briatore told Le Monde newspaper.

As for Colapinto, Briatore’s rhetoric has cooled somewhat. “He is fast, but he still can’t handle the pressure well.

“If you are fast, but you go into the wall, then the speed is of no use to you,” he added.

The good news for Alpine is that Colapinto is heavily backed both by the state and the corporate world in his native Argentina. “It’s fantastic,” the driver admitted.

“In Argentina, they are very passionate and really wanted someone back in Formula 1 after so many years. I’m enjoying the moment and I hope the Argentinians are too,” said Colapinto.

It’s almost unanimously agreed in the paddock that Alpine will also head into the 2026 season with Gasly alongside Colapinto.

“In 2026, we can win races,” Briatore declared. “And, in 2027, we’re preparing for the world championship.”

Next year, for the radical new rules, Alpine will head into the season with customer Mercedes engines. “This is a transitional season for us,” said Briatore. “All of our efforts are already focused on next year’s car.

“We must take advantage of the new regulations. On the other side, we have no more excuses – we must be competitive. We owe it to Renault, Alpine and Luca de Meo.”