The chances of seeing Franco Colapinto back behind the wheel are increasing. Alpine's reserve driver is ready to get into the A525 and showcase his talent, although the future of his current teammate and main driver, Jack Doohan, must be decided first.
It is clear that the Australian's results in the current F1 season have not met expectations, and his room for maneuver seems to be shrinking. The person responsible for his arrival at the French team was Flavio Briatore, Alpine's executive advisor, who will also be in charge of making the final decision if there is a change in the line-up. In that context, former Benetton driver, Johnny Herbert, shared a valuable perspective.
Herbert habló de Briatore y Colapinto
"Briatore is a person without attachments and whenever possible, he will put the best drivers in the car," declared the 60-year-old Briton when speaking about the Italian executive's leadership style. In an interview published by MotorSport, Herbert also noted: "Colapinto had a couple of incidents toward the end of last season, with crashes he could have avoided. But Flavio was very enthusiastic about himand definitely believes he can do the job when he gets into the Alpine."
Herbert's words resonated in the motorsport environment, as the former FIA commissioner knows Briatore closely. In 1995, he was Michael Schumacher's teammate at Benetton, when the Italian was leading the team. Fate led Herbert not to continue with the championship-winning team and to move to Sauber the following season.
Schumacher, Herbert y Briatore en Benetton
Herbert had already commented on Doohan
This is not the first time Herbert has referred to Doohan's performance or warned about Colapinto's possible arrival. At the end of January, the former driver noted: "He has enormous pressure on his shoulders because Franco Colapinto will be there, at the back of the garage. He will be there on television with him, over Briatore's shoulder and wherever he is. And that's where all those little elements of doubt start to come into play. And doubt is something you definitely don't want."
Helbert también habló del flojo presente de Doohan
"Doohan hasn't had the window he needed to perform and demonstrate his ability adequately, to achieve consistent speed in the car. Currently, the pressure on himself seems to be excessive and the mistakes are harming his career," concluded Herbert when analyzing the Australian's campaign, teammate of Pierre Gasly.
The Australian's poor results and his possible replacement
So far, Doohan has not managed to score points and his best result was a 14th place in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Additionally, he caused an estimated economic damage of 1.7 million dollars to Alpine after an accident during the second practice in Japan.
El australiano dejó abierto el DRS y no pudo girar bien
While it was rumored that Colapinto might make his possible debut in Miami, and Briatore's patience seems to have reached its limit, the oceanic driver would have his seat secured at least until the mid-year summer break. However, if things continue like this, he could be replaced earlier, and the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on May 18 emerges as the main chance for the Argentine to race, who has good memories of that circuit.
