Colapinto is regarded as one of Alpine's "most valuable assets."

      Franco Colapinto has rapidly established himself as one of Alpine's "most valuable assets," acknowledges renowned team advisor Flavio Briatore.

      During F1's London launch, 2025 rookie Jack Doohan faced a barrage of questions from journalists regarding the sustainability of his new race seat. This interest stems from the fact that newly-signed reserve driver Colapinto, who is on loan from Williams, is expected to take Doohan's place within just a few races.

      Colapinto's personal sponsor, Mercado Libre, is already featured on the 2025 Alpine branding. The 21-year-old Argentinean is aware of Briatore's support. "I have a lot of confidence in Flavio," he shared with Spanish-language outlets. "He’s the one who developed (Michael) Schumacher and Fernando Alonso—two of my idols—so it makes me very proud that he noticed me and said, 'I want to support you, I want you on my team.'"

      While Alpine’s team principal is Oliver Oakes, Briatore is thought to have even greater influence, as he reports directly to Renault CEO Luca de Meo. "For me, it is a tremendous honor that Flavio recognized me," Colapinto reflected. "His confidence in my potential as a future world champion, as he stated, is something truly special. When I joined, I understood there were no seats available for 2025, so I aimed to demonstrate my abilities."

      "For some reason, prominent figures like Flavio, Alpine, and Red Bull showed considerable interest at that time," he noted. Colapinto made an impression not just with his speed and personality, but also with his capacity to draw strong commercial support from Argentina, even amid a challenging part-season with Williams last year, which included a few significant mistakes.

      "It’s very challenging to jump straight into racing without any test days in a Formula 1 car," he admitted. "If you compare it to others today, everyone who starts racing logs thousands of kilometres in testing. (Kimi) Antonelli completed 10,000 kilometres while I only did 400. Naturally, I made errors, perhaps pushing a bit too hard without a guaranteed seat. I approached every lap and corner knowing I had to give my all."

      Regarding his personality, the Argentine stated, "I am as I choose to be. Max (Verstappen) is also a driver who speaks his mind. I entered Formula 1 after competing in F2 and aimed to remain true to myself."

      Looking ahead, many insiders believe that Briatore will soon move Doohan back to the reserve seat to promote his new protégé. "We fought to have Franco on the team, and he is one of our key assets," the 74-year-old Italian emphasized. "We must be patient, as he is quite young, but I believe in talent. When you have talent and manage it properly, success follows. I can see that Franco is inherently fast. This year he will serve as a test driver and is already dedicating himself in the simulator," Briatore concluded.