Does Franco Colapinto have cause for concern? Here’s what Alpine F1 Managing Director Nielsen has to say

When Franco Colapinto was given the chance to take over from Jack Doohan last year – after the Australian had failed to live up to expectations – hopes were high. After all, the Argentine had already shown flashes of his talent the previous year during his nine Grand Prix appearances for Williams. He finished in the points twice.

However, the 2025 season proved to be significantly more difficult for the young driver from Buenos Aires – partly because the Alpine A525 was not competitive. He failed to score a single point across 18 World Championship rounds and finished the season in 20th place. Only Doohan, who was allowed to compete in the A525 for the first six race weekends, finished behind him.

Things are going much better for Colapinto this year: in the nine World Championship rounds so far, he has finished in the points five times. He heads to the next race in Belgium in 13th place in the World Championship standings. Nevertheless, the question arises as to whether the 23-year-old has done enough to secure his future with the French team. After all, the gap between him and his team-mate Pierre Gasly is considerable. Whilst the Frenchman, currently ninth in the standings, has already scored 42 World Championship points, the younger of the two Alpine drivers stands on 18 points. And Colapinto’s contract expires at the end of the year.

No decision has yet been made

Alpine F1 Managing Director Steve Nielsen responded to a question on the matter at Silverstone: “Jun, everyone always wants to achieve more. I think Franco is one of those drivers who gets off to a slow start, if I may put it that way. But he’s improving and has already put in some impressive races this year.”

And the British engineer emphasised: “Miami was good, China too. He’s improving. I believe he’s in the mix because of his performance, and when the time comes, we’ll make the appropriate decision. If he’s good enough, he’ll stay; if not, there’s a better alternative. That’s just how it is in Formula 1.”

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The 62-year-old knows in which areas Colapinto has made progress: “I think his consistency has improved particularly in the races, as has his ability to keep up with Pierre. That was already evident last year, but our car was so poor in 2026 that it was difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. But I believe that this season he has been on a par with Pierre in some situations, and that’s naturally nice to see.”