A few days before the start of preseason testing, the general director of Alpine, Steve Nielsen, reaffirmed the team's confidence in Franco Colapinto. The British executive stated that the Argentine driver needs time for his talent to fully mature so that he can contribute points consistently in the next Formula 1 season.
After Colapinto's renewal, Nielsen assessed what the Argentine showed during 2025 and placed his performance within a logical growth process. "Franco is a young driver. We have seen other young drivers go through good and difficult periods; he is in that process", the executive pointed out.
In that regard, he highlighted that in several races the Argentine was on par with his teammate Pierre Gasly and even managed to outperform him in race pace. "There were races in which he was on a par with Pierre, and on a couple of occasions he was perhaps even faster. He is on that path, and we'll give him all the support he needs to be as fast as possible", he stated.
Nielsen was also clear regarding the team's sporting objectives. "What is important for us is to have two drivers scoring points in the championship. We have struggled a bit this year: only one car scored points, and not enough either", he explained.
