Martin Brundle thinks one F1 driver has ‘turned a corner’ after nearly losing his seat

Follow us on Google Discover

The Canadian Grand Prix saw disaster for George Russell, magic from Lewis Hamilton, and a coming-of-age drive for one driver who was close to losing their seat last year, according to F1 pundit Martin Brundle.

After recording a career-best finish by taking the chequered flag in Miami in P7, Franco Colapinto backed it up with an even better showing at the Canadian Grand Prix as he crossed the finish line in P6.

Does Franco Colapinto deserve to keep his F1 seat for 2027?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

It was a stellar drive from the Argentine, who occupied the best of the rest position for the majority of the race. Even more encouraging is the fact that he finished two places ahead of Alpine’s lead driver, Pierre Gasly.

• READ MORE: Flavio Briatore believes ‘super’ Franco Colapinto is now proving ‘a lot’ of people in F1 were wrong

Martin Brundle says Franco Colapinto has now ‘turned a corner’ in F1

Colapinto’s career-best showing in Montreal caught the eye of F1 pundit Martin Brundle. It marked a stark shift in form from his first full rookie campaign last year, in which he failed to score a single point.

Of course, Alpine’s progression in development with the new technical regulations has helped, but emerging as the fastest driver within the midfield group of teams is no easy feat at all.

During the 66-year-old’s post-Canadian GP column for Sky Sports F1, he began by giving Isack Hadjar his plaudits for finishing P5, before noting Colapinto’s drive.

“Isack Hadjar served 30 seconds of penalties for moving under braking in defence and breaching the double-waved yellow flag rules, and still came home fifth,” the F1 icon wrote.

“He’s really turned a corner, not dissimilar to Franco Colapinto at Alpine, who’s an altogether different driver lately and who came home a very credible sixth for his best F1 result.”

The result would have certainly gone down well within the Alpine ranks, given how close Colapinto was to losing his seat on the grid after a dismal 2025. At no point during that term did his job look safe, but that seems to no longer be the case.

• READ MORE: Franco Colapinto says Argentina has made ‘absolutely necessary’ step for F1 return after track visit

Franco Colapinto is on his way to getting rid of his pay driver tag

Ahead of the race weekend in Montreal, Ralf Schumacher named Colapinto as the only remaining pay driver on the grid.

Despite some paddock figures debunking claims that Colapinto paid for his seat at the Enstone-based outfit, there may be some degree of pay driver status, given the fact that the Alpine A526 was adorned with one of the Argentine’s biggest backers in Montreal.

However, pay drivers are only considered pay drivers if their results aren’t up to scratch. If Colapinto can back up his recent results with a consistent string of finishes in the points, then the pay driver tag certainly won’t last too long for him.