It is well known that, despite having only competed in three Grand Prix races, Franco Colapinto is not living up to the high expectations generated around him in these early stages of his sporting career as a regular driver for Alpine. But far from being a problem, this should be seen as motivation.
Briatore backs Franco Colapinto “100%” to continue at Alpine
Yes, between mechanical problems, such as the one he had in qualifying in Barcelona, and his lack of adaptation to a car that has proved more complicated than it might have seemed at first. The Argentine is not putting in great performances, with his potential somewhat below that of his teammate, Pierre Gasly, and with some certainly modest results.
The Argentine replaced Jack Doohan in the French team, a few days after Oliver Oakes, then sporting director of the UK-based team, left the team. Flavio Briatore, who was at the helm of Renault in the ‘premier class’ from 2002 to 2009, took his place.
Now, after his first three races of the current season, the young Argentine driver acknowledges that the Italian manager played a very important role in his continuity in the ‘Grand Circus’. However, the former Williams driver arrives under one condition: to prove himself in the first five races, a situation in which Flavio only asks him to “be fast, not crash, and finish in the points.”
“I also made the decision to put a very young Fernando Alonso in the car…”
That is why, although Flavio Briatore has warned that he cannot make any more mistakes, the manager is the biggest supporter of his position at Alpine. So much so that the Italian continues to have every confidence in his driver, believing that Colapinto will become a great driver in F1. His choice is also based on what Flavio did in 2001, when he spotted Fernando Alonso at Minardi and recruited him to Renault. A similar situation, he acknowledges, to Franco’s.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Flavio Briatore spoke about this. Not about whether Colapinto is doing well at the moment, but about the reasons that led them to make that decision. Without a doubt, the French team is trying to look to the future and wants guarantees. Even if that means betting on a driver, as is the case with the Argentine.
“It’s an example. In the past, I also made the decision to put a very young Fernando Alonso, who was then a test driver, in the car instead of the experienced Jenson Button, which aroused the wrath of the British press against me. But in the end, I was right,” he reflected.
Alonso also supports him: “Whatever you need, let me know, don’t worry, just ask me.”
In the end, the Asturian won two championships alongside him, so it was a safe bet. So maybe that’s why he’s now given Colapinto a chance, even though the two examples are far apart at the moment. All in all, these months have served the Pilar native well to learn and get used to things, as he recounts in GQ magazine, although he remains ambitious: “I’m trying to prove that I deserve the opportunity to stay in Formula 1, that I deserve a seat in this category.”
Likewise, it was Fernando Alonso himself who did not hesitate to support his former boss’s choice of the current Alpine driver, as he did last year when the Argentine was a Williams driver in the last nine races of the championship. What’s more, his relationship with the Asturian driver already existed from lower categories, when he competed as his protégé in F4.
However, Formula 1 is a whole different ball game, and Alonso wanted to give him his support in this big step: “Fernando has supported me since I entered Formula 1. He told me, ‘Whatever you need, let me know, don’t worry, ask me,’ and he was very open with me,” he revealed about their relationship in GQ magazine.
“Now, suddenly, racing against them is pretty crazy and very special, so I’m enjoying this opportunity I have, sharing the track and competing against him. It’s crazy, but very nice,” he told GQ Spain.
Briatore wants to repeat the success of Schumacher or Alonso with Colapinto
Something similar happened with Schumacher as with Fernando Alonso. The German, then at Jordan, was already being pursued by the Italian for his Benetton days. He finally got him signed, and in the 1994 and 1995 seasons he led him to glory with two titles.
In 2001, the Italian businessman was back on the hunt for another young talent, Fernando Alonso. He heard about a promising test with Minardi and beat Jean Todt to the punch to knock on his door. The Schumi story repeated itself, with the Asturian reaching the top by becoming champion in 2005 and 2006. It seems that this is the norm with Flavio: if Briatore knocks on your door, success is guaranteed. And it seems that the boss wants to repeat history with Franco Colapinto. Let’s hope so.