What Alpine insiders are now saying about Franco Colapinto as F1 future decision looms

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Franco Colapinto is struggling at Alpine as he could be losing his seat not long after stepping in to replace Jack Doohan.

The Aussie was dropped after six races, having failed to score any points. Flavio Briatore pushed for Colapinto to get his seat, after playing a key part in signing him from Williams over the winter.

However, the Argentine is facing the same struggles in the A525. Colapinto is the only driver on the grid yet to score a point, managing a best finish of 13th in Monaco and Canada.

The 21-year-old was said to have signed an initial five-race deal with Alpine, which has now expired after the Austrian Grand Prix. The Enstone outfit would have been hoping for a good weekend from the Argentine, but he suffered another disappointing outing.

F1 fans were furious with Colapinto as he pushed Oscar Piastri onto the grass while receiving blue flags. Karun Chandhok labelled Colapinto ‘unacceptable’ as he limped home P15, with rumours now ramping up about whether he could be dropped by Alpine.

Alpine insiders say Franco Colapinto is ‘losing too much time’ to Pierre Gasly as future decision looms

Reports have suggested that Colapinto is set to stay at Alpine, as the team have realised that they need to improve the car, not make another driver change. Jack Doohan’s camp will be raging, considering that the Aussie was performing at a similar level to his replacement before losing his seat.

But Colapinto is facing increasing ‘pressure’ from Alpine, with Briatore stressing that he needs to ‘up his game’. In a report from Auto Motor und Sport, the Italian is ‘bothered’ by the fact that teammate Pierre Gasly is the only one scoring points as the team sits bottom of the standings.

Given his current form, ‘there is little hope’ that Colapinto will get many more chances in the car to prove his worth. Alpine insiders are now saying that the Argentine is ‘losing too much time to Gasly’, having been four tenths off the pace in Q2 in Austria.

Doohan was closer to Gasly than Colapinto in his six appearances in 2025, highlighting his struggles. Chandhok says Alpine have downgraded their driver line-up, and they could be set to make another change.

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

Franco Colapinto must step up as Flavio Briatore has already decided on his replacement

Ralf Schumacher says Colapinto has ‘one or two races’ to show he deserves to keep his seat at Alpine. The Enstone outfit will be desperate to see the 21-year-old score points as they fall 15 points behind Sauber in the standings.

Rumours have been swirling around the paddock as to who could replace the Argentine, with Alpine having Doohan and Paul Aron as options. But a return for the Aussie seems unlikely and Juan Pablo Montoya says Aron has been forgotten about amid the speculation.

The AMuS report states that ‘Briatore prefers an experienced driver’, and he seems to have made his decision. Alpine have been in talks with Valtteri Bottas as the Finn looks to find his way back onto the grid.

F1 fans want Bottas to replace Colapinto as the Argentine struggles to find any performance in the A525. Briatore has ‘assured’ Colapinto he still has his ‘trust‘, but he must get some points on the board to help lift his team from the bottom.