Max Verstappen’s F1 practice advice is just what Franco Colapinto needs amid Alpine uncertainty

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Franco Colapinto is facing massive uncertainty at Alpine as his return to the Formula 1 grid has not gone to plan.

The Argentine replaced Jack Doohan after six races in 2025, but he has not been an improvement on his predecessor. Colapinto has failed to score points in seven races this season, having struggled to adapt to the A525.

Colapinto has been surprised by how stiff the Alpine is compared to his 2024 Williams. His struggles have meant the team are relying on Pierre Gasly to score points; his 20 so far leave the Enstone outfit bottom of the constructors’ championship.

Flavio Briatore is demanding points from Colapinto as he now faces pressure to keep his seat. ‘No one’ in F1 would be surprised if Colapinto was being challenged at Alpine, says Ted Kravitz, as he finished a miserable P19 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Reports even suggested that Doohan was ‘expecting’ to replace Colapinto at Spa, highlighting just how much pressure he is under. The 21-year-old will be looking for any help he can to improve his fortunes, and he just got it from four-time champion Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen says drivers must be on the limit ‘straight away’ in practice – Franco Colapinto must listen

In a video on the Ford Performance YouTube channel, the Red Bull driver discussed numerous topics in F1 while driving the Ford Mustang GTD. Among them was how quickly he looks to be on the limit during race weekends.

“Normally the target is always within five laps. That’s what my Dad always taught me from when I was a kid in a go-kart,” said Verstappen.

“He said: ‘You need to be on the limit straight away’, like, you know, good lap times. Because sometimes you could go out: ‘Ah, just drive and see what happens’.

“But my Dad was always there like: ‘No, we got out, and we have to be on it straight away’.

Talking about the approach of going out on track and simply seeing what happens, he added: “That’s never how I approach it. Especially also because in motorsport, so once you move out of go-karting, you don’t have a lot of time.

“There is not a lot of availability to test, or in a race week, you have FP1, FP2 maybe and then you go into qualifying. There’s no time to get up to speed, you have to be up to speed straight away.”

Alpine insiders say Colapinto is too far behind Gasly, with pace being a major issue for him in the A525. Verstappen’s advice is exactly what he needs to turn his form around, as being on the limit ‘straight away’ in a race weekend will set him up nicely to perform when it matters.

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

When will Franco Colapinto lose his seat at Alpine?

People in the F1 press centre know Colapinto is under pressure after his performance at Spa. Briatore does not want Alpine to finish last in the standings, which could prompt another driver change from the team.

Colapinto will ‘at the latest’ be out by the end of 2025, but it is currently unclear whether he will be given the rest of the season to turn his form around. Alpine have been linked with several drivers in recent weeks.

Doohan is one option, while Paul Aron has emerged as a candidate. The Estonian has been conducting numerous TPC tests and is waiting for his first shot in F1.

Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez have also been linked with the team as Briatore is said to favour an experienced driver. However, Bottas does not want to be ‘anywhere near’ Colapinto’s seat as he eyes a move to Cadillac.