Franco Colapinto had his first official experience with Alpine in Formula 1, finishing 16th in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, held at the Imola circuit. Beyond the result, his performance was positive. He fulfilled the request to complete the race and showed a competitive pace against his teammate Pierre Gasly, whom he surpassed in the fastest lap time (1:20.345 against 1:20.398).
The Argentine's weekend was marked by his unfortunate crash in the first qualifying session, although he had already secured his pass to the second phase. Despite this, the team didn't blame him for the incident and valued his overall performance. Flavio Briatore, Alpine's executive advisor who promoted his arrival, publicly supported him and confirmed that he will continue in the five scheduled races.
Briatore respaldó a Colapinto en su debut en Imola
During his stay in Italy, the 21-year-old driver appeared relaxed and comfortable in his new environment. A key difference from his time at Williams was the greater openness toward the press, as this time he was able to speak freely with Argentine media throughout the weekend, which helped him appear more at ease and approachable.
Colapinto's debut also made a strong impact off the track. A crowd of Argentine fans was present in Imola to cheer for the driver, repeating the phenomenon already seen during his races last year with Williams. The classic chant "Que de la mano, de Colapinto…" resounded loudly on the main straight after the checkered flag.
Colapinto con la hinchada argentina en Imola
Although the Alpine A525 is still far from being competitive, the team valued the young Buenos Aires native's performance and his adaptation to the car. Now, Colapinto is preparing for his next race in Monaco, where he will race "at home" after recently moving there. His growth continues and, step by step, he begins to write his own story in the top tier.
