Flavio Briatore has ‘internally’ delivered one worrying message to Franco Colapinto after pointless start at Alpine

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Franco Colapinto is the only active driver on the Formula 1 grid this season who hasn’t scored a point.

There are 21 drivers in the drivers’ championship standings right now, and both racers yet to get off the mark represent Alpine.

Jack Doohan was dropped by Alpine after six races, having failed to score a point, and was replaced by Franco Colapinto.

David Coulthard spotted some positives from Colapinto’s Alpine debut, but after having the same opportunity as Doohan and failing to deliver any improvement on his performance, questions are being asked.

Flavio Briatore is the man Colapinto needs to impress as the acting head of Alpine’s F1 project.

Briatore has a reputation in Formula 1 for being extremely hard to please and quick to make driver changes if he believes a better option is on the market.

He appears to have sent a warning to the young Argentine with Colapinto trying to eke out his race-by-race contract.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

Flavio Briatore ‘internally’ demanding points from Alpine driver Franco Colapinto

Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was discussing Colapinto’s start at Alpine on The Race F1 Podcast.

Explaining the situation Colapinto finds himself in, Mitchell-Malm said: “I’ve got some sympathy for Colapinto.

“I think he’s a better driver than he’s been made to look in the situation he’s in. I think you have to say that there are too many mistakes that he shouldn’t be making. I think that’s fair.

“But there are also moments where he is starting to look like, OK, when it comes together, he can actually be quite close and maybe even slightly faster than Gasly.

“That’s why it was so frustrating when he slid off the road in the way that he did in qualifying at Silverstone, because he’d been faster than Gasly, been dealing with the limitations of that car better through FP2, FP3 and even the first runs in Q1.

“But he’s on a hiding to nothing in the situation he’s been put in, in the same way that Doohan was basically fatally undermined from the start by putting Colapinto in and saying you need to be an upgrade on the driver that hasn’t scored points.

“Briatore, I believe internally, he has said that you need to score points.

“And so that creates an internal expectation and pressure within the team for Colapinto to deal with, which, you know, there’s always pressure in Formula 1, so maybe there’s limited sympathy for it.

“But Doohan and Colapinto have been given two of the rawest deals of drivers in the last few years that I can remember.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore? Everything to know

Who could replace Franco Colapinto if Alpine decide to make another driver change?

There appear to be several candidates available to Alpine should they wish to part ways with Colapinto.

It would be a surprise if he were replaced during the back-to-back races in Belgium and Hungary, but the four-week summer break might be a far more precarious period for the 22-year-old.

Valtteri Bottas has been linked with Alpine as he seeks a return to Formula 1.

The Finnish driver is currently Mercedes’ reserve driver, and Cadillac are keeping a close eye on Bottas ahead of their 2026 debut.

Paul Aron has emerged as a candidate to replace Colapinto as the next Alpine reserve driver in line to be given his opportunity in F1.

A comeback for Jack Doohan seems unlikely, and Sergio Perez has been mentioned as an option for Alpine, but would be an outside bet at this stage.

Colapinto knows that a top 10 finish at Spa or the Hungaroring would likely remove a lot of the pressure he’s currently facing.