How Alpine staff reacted in the paddock to Franco Colapinto ignoring team orders at the US Grand Prix

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Franco Colapinto’s torrid 2025 Formula 1 season continued at the United States Grand Prix as he struggled at the back.

The Argentine is still without a point this season as he struggled with the underwhelming A525. But his individual performances have cost him dearly, with rookie errors and crashes leaving Alpine bottom of the constructors’ championship.

Teammate Pierre Gasly has only scored 20 points this season, highlighting the team’s underperformance. The Frenchman has finished 19th in the last two races, being beaten by Colapinto on both occasions.

The pair both made it to Q2 at the United States Grand Prix but fell backwards in the race. Colapinto was running behind Gasly in the closing stages before he, against Alpine’s wishes, overtook for P17.

Alpine staff were not ‘very happy’ with Franco Colapinto after he overtook Pierre Gasly against team orders in Austin

Alpine had instructed Colapinto to hold position behind Gasly. The Argentine was not impressed with the decision, complaining about his teammate’s pace and the fact that Gabriel Bortoleto was charging behind him.

A lap later, Colapinto passed Gasly against team orders and finished the race in 17th. The latter ended up getting overtaken by Bortoleto and finished last on the road, much to the disappointment of Alpine.

Speaking after the race via Motorsport.com Nederland, journalist Ronald Vording shared that the team’s staff were not pleased that Colapinto ignored their instructions.

He said: “There were already some people from Alpine in the paddock, yes, passing by me, and they were already listening in on ‘naughty Franco’. In other words, they thought that Colapinto had been a bit naughty by passing Gasly.

“Colapinto himself was unaware of any wrongdoing, and of course, he also thinks: ‘Yes, I don’t have a seat, I have to prove myself, you can only do what you can’. But Alpine wasn’t very happy about that.”

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

Where does Franco Colapinto stand with retaining his Alpine seat in 2026?

Colapinto is out of contract in 2025 and is fighting for his spot on the grid next season. His results have not been much better than Jack Doohan, who he replaced six races into the campaign.

The likes of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were linked with Alpine earlier in the year, but the pair ended up signing with Cadillac. It is understood to be between Colapinto and Paul Aron for the seat next to Gasly in 2026.

It seems that the former could be winning the race, as Colapinto is in a ‘good place’ to keep his seat. His sponsors from Argentina give him significant financial backing for Alpine.

The 2026 F1 regulations could bring some improvements for the 21-year-old as Alpine become a Mercedes customer team next season. However, Colapinto will be under more pressure to deliver results, something he has failed to do in 2025.