Franco Colapinto told he’s ‘just not good enough’ for F1 after worrying ‘trend’ spotted by Jacques Villeneuve

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Despite impressing in his debut in F1 with Williams last season, Franco Colapinto is under increasing pressure to provide results for Alpine if he stands a chance of retaining his seat in the sport.

Colapinto is the only driver still on the grid who has yet to score a single point in the 2025 campaign after taking over from Jack Doohan following his departure from the full-time driver role after the Miami Grand Prix.

The Argentine’s position at the team is far from safe, with Flavio Briatore recently adding another driver to his shortlist of possible replacements for Colapinto.

Four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou has also emerged as an option for Alpine. The Spaniard has previously been linked with a move to F1 due to his superiority in the American open-wheel racing category.

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

Jacques Villeneuve thinks Franco Colapinto’s recent crashes can be attributed to ‘overdriving’

On Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP3 at the Dutch Grand Prix race weekend, David Croft referenced Flavio Briatore’s comments during Thursday afternoon’s press conference whilst chatting to former F1 driver, Jacques Villeneuve.

During the conference, via F1, Briatore revealed to journalists that he isn’t happy with Colapinto’s results in the current campaign, stating, “Maybe it was not the time to have Franco in Formula 1. Maybe he needed another year to be part of Formula 1.”

Croft asked his co-commentator for the weekend on his opinion of Briatore’s comments and if he thinks it’s the right time for Colapinto to be on the grid, to which Villeneuve replied (10:41 30/08), ” There’s never the right time to get into F1. You get a shot, you jump, and you have to perform.

“He got into Williams last year and I was impressed with the first few races, but then he started crashing, started overdriving. And that’s a trend that’s intensified this year.

“Even in testing, in private testing, the amount in damages he’s done shows that he’s overdriving to try and be at that speed, which means maybe he’s just not good enough.”

Colapinto is fully focused on Alpine for the future and has been helping with the development of their 2026 car as he hopes to see out his multi-year deal with the team.

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

Franco Colapinto’s manager has been reaching out to WEC and IndyCar teams

With the Argentine’s future at Alpine in jeopardy, Colapinto also has one eye on his future outside of F1, with it recently being reported that his management team have reached out to teams in IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship in hopes of securing a drive there.

Both racing categories feature a swathe of former F1 drivers as they feature two of the most prestigious races in world motorsport: the 24 Hours of Le Mans in WEC and the Indianapolis 500 in IndyCar.

Fernando Alonso is one driver who has competed in both during a period where the Spaniard had his sights set on adding the ‘Triple Crown’ to his list of motorsport accolades.

With two victories under his belt at the Monaco Grand Prix, Alonso went on to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2019 with Cadillac. He has attempted the Indy 500 three times, but failed to make an impact at the race.