Flavio Briatore Calls Out Franco Colapinto for Poor Performance in Alpine F1 Team
The Formula 1 season is in full swing, and tensions are running high within the Alpine F1 Team. Franco Colapinto, the young Argentine driver, is struggling to match the pace of his teammate Pierre Gasly, and former F1 team boss Flavio Briatore is not holding back on his criticism.
Colapinto, who started the season strong filling in for Logan Sargeant at Williams before being promoted to a full-time seat at Alpine, has failed to impress in recent races. Despite showing promise early on, the Argentine driver has been consistently outperformed by Gasly, especially evident during the European triple-header at Imola, Monaco, and Spain.
Briatore, known for his no-nonsense attitude, expressed his disappointment with Colapinto’s performance, stating, “If I said I was happy with Colapinto, I would be lying. I don’t want to hear about the number of races left; what matters is performance. If a driver delivers, they keep their seat. Barcelona was supposed to be the race where he showed some signs of improvement.”
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 F1 World Champion, also weighed in on Colapinto’s struggles, highlighting the mental challenge the young driver is facing. “Franco is not in Briatore’s good books after these races. Flavio is extremely harsh, and if you don’t perform, you are quickly forgotten. Mentally, Colapinto faces a tough battle to overcome,” Rosberg commented.
As the Alpine F1 Team faces the risk of finishing the season at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, all eyes are on Colapinto to turn his performance around and prove his worth in the highly competitive world of Formula 1.