Aníbal Colapinto praised the Frenchman, highlighted the good internal atmosphere, and called for calming expectations ahead of the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season
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Weeks before the start of the 2026 season of Formula 1, Aníbal Colapinto spoke about the present of Alpine and about the relationship between his son Franco and Pierre Gasly, teammates in the French team.
In a conversation with Spanish journalist David Perogil, the Argentine driver's father praised the Frenchman's level and highlighted the virtues of both within the structure. "He's a great driver, he's always been among the best, and a hell of a qualifier. Franco might be missing a bit in qualifying, but then in the race he showed that he has a very good pace," he analyzed.
Beyond the differences in profile, Colapinto emphasized the working atmosphere behind closed doors and the harmony that exists between the drivers. "There is a synergy between the two. They get along well, they want to work together and move the cars forward. What is important is that they pull in the same direction," he explained.
When he was asked whether the relationship between Franco and Gasly can be described as a friendship, he recalled a phrase by Flavio Briatore that sums up the logic of the category: "When they asked him if they were friends, he said that after the third race they were going to see what happened."
Según Aníbal, Franco y Gasly tienen buena sinergia
In that context, he called for prudence in the face of the scenario that opens with the new regulatory cycle. "Everyone who is on the team wants to see Alpine rise again and wants to take it as high as possible.People have to be realistic. It is a very big change in Formula 1, one of the most historic ones. Nothing has been proven yet," he stated, and he appealed for caution: "Step by step, as Mostaza would say. People have to take it calmly, people must not panic."
As he pointed out, the first real conclusions will begin to be seen in Bahrain. "A lot of work has been done, everyone wants to score points and the idea is that both cars can do it. People must not panic, people have to stay calm," he said. He concluded with a forceful phrase: "Now people have to show more courage than ever. Let's go for 2026."
The origin of number 43
In the same interview, Aníbal also revealed how his son's emblematic number came about. As he explained, Franco chose 43 because his father liked it and raced with that number. "I liked that number because I always liked number 7. When I raced, I couldn't choose it because someone else had it, and the one that I could turn into 7 was 43 because 4 plus 3 is 7and from then on I liked 43 and I always used it," he commented.
In turn, he also revealed what the moment was like when his son told him which number he was going to use in the top category: "I didn't even know which number he was going to use. One day before traveling to Italy, because they were racing in Monza, he called me and more or less told me this: "Old man, I have a surprise for you". "Another one? Go slowly because my heart could not take it," he tells me "I was able to choose the number for the car", I say to him, wow, that's great, which number did you choose, "old man, we're going with 43"."
