Colapinto says Briatore made him 'mentally stronger'

It was during the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Imola that Franco Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan in the second Alpine, next to Pierre GaslyIt was a difficult start for the Argentinian driver, who notably caused a red flag in qualifying, by crashing into the wall at the exit of the Tamburello chicane. Since then, Colapinto has not scored a single point, but he has shown improved performances in recent races, notably at Zandvoort, where he finished twelfth.

The old pilot Williams was recently a guest on the podcast of the Formula 1, "Beyond the Grid". The opportunity to talk about his relationship with the boss of the team ofenstone, Flavio Briatore. Often portrayed as tough in business and human relations, the Italian, according to Colapinto, helps build his mental strength, as he battles to keep his seat in 2026, particularly against reserve driver Paul Aron. The Argentinian also claims to get along very well with Briatore.

"I have a very good relationship [with Briatore]", he explained. “He’s tough on everyone. His way of running the team and motivating people is sometimes a little harsh and can sometimes seem a little excessive if you don’t know him. But he’s someone I really believe in, someone who I think is going to take this team forward and bring back Alpine at the top. I learned a lot from him this year. He made me much stronger."

Franco Colapinto believes, for example, that the difficult years that Alpine at the moment are formative and the foundations to be laid to lead the Enstone team to the heights it has already reached, notably with Flavio Briatore. The Italian in fact brought back the drivers' titles in 1994 and 1995 with Michael Schumacher, then in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso. Benetton then Renault also won the constructors' title in the last three years mentioned.

"He made me mentally stronger and I truly believe that it's years like this, when things start to improve, when we start winning, getting good results, fighting at the top, that make the difference. So I'm very grateful to him for giving me this opportunity, but also for this whole process we're going through right now."

Having arrived in F1 with Williams in 2024, Colapinto believes that it is in difficulties that he learns the most: “I was going into Formula 1 with no knowledge and I think that was when I felt the most pressure in my entire career, when I started racing in Formula 1. After that, I felt like nothing could stop me. When everything is going well, it’s very easy and it’s difficult to learn a lot. When everything is going badly, when you’re at the bottom of the standings, it’s much easier to learn and get stronger.”

With his future still up in the air, Franco Colapinto is focused on performing to the best of his ability, weekend after weekend. Contract negotiations will therefore continue on their own, whether or not they result in a contract extension at Enstone.

“I don’t know (when a decision will be made. Ed.) and I’m not really focused on that. I think I want to keep improving this year. There’s still a lot to learn and discover, but I feel better in the car, in the team, and I feel like we’re doing a good job together. Let’s take it race by race, moment by moment, and see where it takes us. But I’m just happy to be here and let’s see how this chapter continues.”

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