F1 News: Flavio Briatore Teases Future Franco Colapinto Alpine Signing

Flavio Briatore hints that Alpine may sign Franco Colapinto for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Nov 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto (43) is introduced before the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Flavio Briatore has hinted at Alpine’s potential interest in acquiring Franco Colapinto for the 2026 season. This comes after the Argentine driver's impressive performances with Williams.

Having stepped into the shoes of Logan Sargeant at Williams, Colapinto quickly established himself by scoring points in the Azerbaijan and the United States Grands Prix. His exceptional performances have made him a subject of interest, with Alpine once considering an earlier move for him prior to settling their 2025 lineup with Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan.

Briatore shared with the media:

“I’m interested in any driver who is fast.

“Colapinto surprised everyone, but we have contracts with Gasly, Doohan and [Paul] Aron for next season.

“If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it. Nevertheless, you always have to be careful when assessing drivers.

“In this sport, you quickly get hyped up after a good race. Then the price rises and suddenly we’re talking about 20 or 30 million dollars.

“The choice today is much greater than it used to be. Today, there are six to seven promising drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

“We want to concentrate on the good ones in our academy and no longer run around with a watering can.

“It will probably come down to three drivers: Aron, [Gabriele] Mini and [Victor] Martins.”

Colapinto's debut at Monza marked his entry into the F1 scene, where he quickly demonstrated his potential by finishing strong in subsequent races. However, frequent crashes have occasionally impeded his progress, leading to performance setbacks due to less optimal car specifications. Despite these hurdles, Williams' team principal, James Vowles, has praised Colapinto's ability to maximize opportunities presented to him.

Despite his impressive results, Colapinto was unfortunately left without a seat for the 2025 season, as Williams has already signed Carlos Sainz to drive alongside Alex Albon.

Briatore continued:

“It is now time for a generational change.

“Sainz is a very good driver, but when he was on the market, none of the top teams took him on.

“They prefer to go for young drivers. Toto Wolff on Antonelli, Christian Horner on Lawson.

“Young drivers are hungrier than someone who has a wife and two children and €30-40million in the bank. Even Enzo Ferrari said that drivers slow down when they have children.

“I think the rise of Piastri has made people think. Bearman jumps into a Ferrari overnight [in Saudi Arabia] and drives a great race.

“The young drivers are much better trained and the competitive pressure is higher.

“In Formula 2, you’re in first place today and 14th tomorrow. [Lewis] Hamilton or [Nico] Rosberg used to win 70 percent of all races.

“When [Michael] Schumacher came to us [Benetton in 1991], he still lacked experience. We first sent Fernando [Alonso] to Minardi.

“[Max] Verstappen didn’t even have a driver’s license when he started at Toro Rosso.”