A young man in a racing team uniform stands in front of a Formula 1 poster under a clear sky. — Colapinto had a decent performance in his first race with Alpine | La Derecha Diario

Camara — Colapinto had a decent performance in his first race with Alpine | La Derecha Diario

Formula 1: The other side of Franco Colapinto's debut at Alpine

Beyond the result obtained, the Argentine driver experienced his return to the Máxima with calmness and will seek to improve for the upcoming races

19/05/2025 14:55:00h

Editorial Team

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.

A race car driver with a pink and blue helmet and uniform is next to a man with sunglasses and a cap in a pit area.

Briatore supported Colapinto in his debut at Imola | La Derecha Diario

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.

A smiling young man in a racing jersey is surrounded by a crowd at an outdoor event, while someone takes his picture.

Colapinto with the Argentine fans in Imola | La Derecha Diario

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.

➡️ Argentina