Although the former La Máxima driver declares himself a fan of the Argentine, he called for objectivity when evaluating his performance and stated that he is still 'very far' from his true level
Meanwhile, Alguersuari pointed out that he doesn't question the Argentine's quality, although he raised a key difference with Doohan. "Franco isn't a rookie. A rookie was Doohan, who started from scratch in a totally unfavorable situation for him, and we knew from the very beginning that he had it very tough because of the noise around Franco, the push from an entire country, the great performances he had at Williams last year and that's why he deserves a spot in Formula 1," he stated.
"That's why I defend him and that's why I'm a fan of Franco Colapinto, besides other things I love about him and I'm the first one who wants him to do well in Formula 1, but that doesn't mean we cover our eyes and justify everything. Franco Colapinto must be compared, at least and at the very least, to Jack Doohan," he emphasized.
Nevertheless, Alguersuari believes Colapinto will be able to raise his level: "Franco is much better than all this and we all know it, of course I'm convinced there will be progress, that he'll even be ahead of (Pierre) Gasly and that he's a much better driver than Doohan and that he deserves that spot 100%."
In the three races he has competed in, Franco Colapinto still hasn't managed to replicate the level seen at Williams, and ahead of his next appearance at the Canadian Grand Prix, he received criticism from a former Formula 1 driver who also compared him to Jack Doohan.
"Franco isn't comfortable with the car, he complains and you see him worried, especially when he goes out and talks to the press. He's a bit lost. He's far, he's very, very far. Let's be honest, right? If this had happened to Jack Doohan, he wouldn't have lasted even two races," said Jaime Alguersuari, former Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) driver, on the podcast The After Lap.
The Spaniard was clear in stating his sympathy for Colapinto, but insisted that analyses must be impartial: "Look, I'm all in for Colapinto. I'm a huge fan of his, I love him, but I want to be objective with the results. I said it: now I'm going to evaluate Franco the same way I evaluated Jack, because I'm an objective person. I'm with a country that is Argentina, which I love, where they treat me wonderfully well and I'm all in for Franco, but we have to be objective."
