Colapinto at the Shanghai GP: visit to his former team and a controversial phrase

Meanwhile, as he continues waiting for his chance to debut, Franco Colapinto takes the time to visit old acquaintances and make a few statements.

The native of Pilar stopped by to greet his former team, Williams, after the Shanghai race, where his team was once again disappointing with Gasly's disqualification and Doohan's poor result.

On the other hand, Colapinto stated that Alpine doesn't allow him to give interviews about his future: "I can't talk, dude. They don't let me," he expressed in a brief conversation with ESPN, amidst laughter. He concluded: "Enjoy yourselves, I'm bored."

These statements suggest that the Argentine driver's influence on the team is very high, and it could add extra pressure on the main drivers, especially Doohan, who is under criticism for his poor performance in his debut season. It seems that any word he says can affect the French team, which is still seeking solutions to reverse this dark present.

After these words in Shanghai, Colapinto used his social media and shared an image on his Instagram account, hoping for a better weekend for Alpine. "Better weekends are coming. Let's keep working.." commented the Argentine, alongside a photo of him walking through the pits holding a mate.

Briatore was asked again about Colapinto:

Alpine's main advisor reiterated that the Argentine driver will compete in F1 this year. "Sooner or later, I don't know. We'll see," he said in a short exchange with ESPN. A statement as brief as it is enigmatic, giving no clear clues about a possible debut for Colapinto.

Previously, he had said something very similar about the current reserve driver's situation: "He will race in Formula 1, sooner or later."