Franco Colapinto Signs Multi-Year Deal With Alpine

Thursday, 09 January 2025 at 21:21

The Alpine F1 team announced a multi-year deal with Franco Colapinto, who will join in the role of test and reserve driver for the 2025 season.

Although he impressed everyone with his incredible start in Formula 1, Franco Colapinto had a tough end to 2024 and found himself without a seat for 2025.

The Argentinian driver was still part of Williams Racing, and although the F1 team was satisfied with his performance, they already had a full lineup for the upcoming season consisting of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.

Fortunately for Colapinto, he managed to grab the attention of Flavio Briatore from Alpine. While the French team also already has a full lineup for 2025, they might be interested in replacing Jack Doohan with Colapinto if the Australian driver doesn't perform.

Alpine is Colapinto's biggest chance to make it on the grid as soon as possible, although it is already clear he won't have a seat at the start of the year.

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The 21-year-old signed a multi-year deal with the French team. He will start 2025 as a test and reserve driver, but reports suggest he is first in line if Alpine potentially needs to replace Doohan.

In the official press release put out by Alpine, Franco Colapinto first thanked the team that gave him the opportunity to shine in 2024 - Williams:

"First of all, I want to say thank you to Williams for all their support from the moment I joined the Academy until the last race in Abu Dhabi. They turned my dream of racing in Formula One into reality, and I will always be grateful for that."

The Argentinian youngster will now enter a new stage in his career, joining Alpine, which under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, Luca De Meo, and Oliver Oakes, hopes to get back to the top. Colapinto continued:

"Now, it is time for a new chapter, and to take on this challenge with BWT Alpine Formula One Team is truly an honor."

"A huge thank you to Luca [de Meo], Flavio [Briatore] and Oliver [Oakes] for believing in me and welcoming me into the team with open arms. I cannot wait to get started and see where this journey takes us".

"Also, a massive thank you to all my sponsors and partners who stood by me through the challenges of the 2024 season."

"Your support made it all possible, and to my incredible fans in Argentina: 'Muchas gracias!' Your passion and encouragement mean the world to me. Let's aim for even greater things in 2025 and beyond."