Franco Colapinto Signed By Alpine After Impressive Williams F1 Debut

Franco Colapinto joins Alpine as a 2025 reserve driver after impressing with Williams in 2024.

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Williams Racing driver Franco Colapinto (43) arrives before practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Franco Colapinto has clinched a role as a reserve driver with Alpine for 2025 after an impressive debut with Williams last season.

Colapinto made history as the first Argentine in Formula 1 in 23 years with his debut for Williams during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. Prior to that, he had built a successful career in junior racing formulas.

He finished fourth in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2023 and captured his first Formula 2 victory at Imola in 2024. When given a chance to race in F1, Colapinto seized it by replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams. During his time with Williams, Colapinto earned points and praise, impressing many with his on-track performance, including an eighth-place finish at Baku.

Flavio Briatore, Alpine’s executive advisor, said:

“We are very pleased to come to an agreement with Williams Racing to sign Franco Colapinto.

“Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now. It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula One grid last year caught many, me included, by surprise and his performances have been very impressive for a rookie driver.

“We have an eye on our future and his signing means we have a great pool of young drivers to call upon and work with in developing the team for future success.”

At Williams, team principal James Vowles knew it was the right move for Colapinto, stating:

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Alpine for Franco to join the team on a multi-year arrangement starting in 2025.

"Over nine memorable races with Williams he clearly showed he is deserving of a place in Formula 1 and we always said we would support him to get one.

"Williams has one of the most formidable driver line-ups on the grid for 2025 and beyond in Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, so we believe this agreement with Alpine represents Franco’s best chance of securing a race seat in 2025 or 2026.

"The Williams Racing Driver Academy exists to discover and develop the F1 stars of the future which is exactly what it has done in Franco’s case, and builds on our long tradition of giving talented young drivers their break at the top level of motorsport.

"We are proud to have returned Argentina to the F1 grid, want to thank Franco for everything he has brought to the team and look forward to future battles on track.”

This adds to previous reports that Alpine's rookie driver Jack Doohan is under immense pressure to perform in 2025. Rumors are increasing about Colapinto potentially replacing the Australian driver part way through the season if he does not find the necessary performance.