The Argentine driver recalled his debut with Williams and analyzed the tough current season he is experiencing with the French team
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Franco Colapintocelebrated on Wednesday one year since his arrival in Formula 1 with Williams was announced to compete in the last nine races of the 2024 season, a stage in which he surprised the paddock by scoring points in just his second appearance. However, the outlook changed: today he competes for Alpine, where the situation is more complex and he still hasn't managed to score any points.
In a conversation with the press in Zandvoort, Colapinto expressed with emotion what his arrival in the top category meant: "Since I was very young, this was my dream. Driving in Formula 1 was my dream since I was a child. Receiving that news a year ago is a beautiful memory. Something I will never forget. I'm always very grateful for that opportunity. I'm very happy to be here a year later".
Colapinto cumple un año en la F1
He also highlighted how quickly time has passed:"It doesn't feel like a year. Many things happened during that time. I can't tell you where we'll be in a year. Things change very quickly".
His present at Alpine
A few months ago, Colapinto took the seat previously occupied by Jack Doohan, who did not perform at the start of 2025. Although the Argentine showed performance close to that of his teammate Pierre Gasly, the results still haven't come and the car's difficulties in a very tight midfield complicate his aspirations.
Regarding that situation, the driver himself analyzed: "We need to take a step forward. I think as a team we're trying to understand where we can find that performance. But we know we need a few extra tenths. The midfield is very, very close. We just feel we need that extra from the car... that we're trying to find".
Colapinto destacó los problemas de rendimiento de su monoplaza
Despite the difficult moment, the Argentine highlighted the team's effort and was self-critical: "We're working hard. Sometimes we lack consistency. We know the car is sometimes very fast. Sometimes we lack performance and we don't really understand where it comes from".
A still uncertain future
Looking ahead to 2026, his place at Alpine is not confirmed. Meanwhile, Gasly seems to have his continuity assured, in Europe there is already speculation that Colapinto could lose his seat if he doesn't score points soon.
When asked about it, he replied cautiously: "I don't know. I think it's very similar to last year when I joined, I just wanted to drive and go race by race. We're still doing that. I'm very happy to be here and to work hard with the team so Alpine remains where it should be. Where it deserves to be".
"We have to keep working hard to get back to the top. That's where we should be. We're also very focused on next year's development. Let's see where we end up", he concluded.
