Alpine Signs Franco Colapinto As Reserve Driver For 2025 Season

This is a milestone in investment by Alpine team drivers for F1 2025, whereby both parties have identified Franco Colapinto as that reserve driver on an extended contract for a new chapter in his promising career and the depth of extremely talented drivers listed in the Alpine squad.

Colapinto’s Road to Alpine

Throughout his career path to becoming an Alpine reserve driver, Franco Colapinto has managed to turn in a few great performances across different categories of racing. He was born on May 27, 2003, in Pilar, Argentina, and started his motorsport career with karting at the tender age of nine years. Success in the early years included winning the Argentinian Championship in 2016 and 2018, thus setting the stage for his transition to single-seater racing.

Colapinto started competing in car racing in 2018 when he entered the final round of the FIA Spanish F4 Championship. An immediate talent, he managed to take home a win and a second-place finish from his first outing. His performance immediately drew the attention of Fernando Alonso’s FA Racing team, who signed him for the 2019 season.

The 2019 season proved to be the breakthrough year of Colapinto. He participated in the Spanish F4 Championship, where he dominated with eleven wins, 13 podiums, and 10 pole positions to win the series. It propelled him into higher categories of motorsport.

Rise Through the Ranks

After his F4 win, Colapinto continued to shine in various junior formulae: the Toyota Racing Series and the Formula Renault Eurocup, finishing third in both series in 2020. These achievements further sealed his status as one of the most exciting young talents to emerge in motorsport so far.

An interesting turn in Colapinto’s career came in 2021 when he tried his hand at sports car racing. He competed in the Asian and European Le Mans Series, besides the FIA Endurance Trophy. This experience in endurance racing added versatility to his skill set and demonstrated his adaptability as a driver.

In 2022, Colapinto stepped up into the hyper-competitive FIA Formula 3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. Unusually for a rookie year, he impressed with his speed and racecraft and was able to finish the Championship in ninth. This brought him to the attention of Williams Racing, who signed him to their Driver Academy in January 2023.

Formula 2 and Formula 1 Debut

In 2024, Colapinto stepped up to Formula 2 with MP Motorsport. His F2 campaign was filled with great performances, including a win in the Imola Sprint Race 7. However, his season took an unexpected turn when Williams Racing called him up to replace Logan Sargeant in Formula 1 from the Italian Grand Prix onwards.

Colapinto started his Formula 1 career with a bang: he reached Q3 and scored points on his second-ever Grand Prix appearance in Azerbaijan. He followed that up with a points finish in the United States Grand Prix—five points in each race—a display of how quickly he was getting into the top of the pyramid of motorsport.

Signing with Alpine

After Colapinto’s promising Formula 1 debut with Williams, Alpine has made a conscious effort to sign the Argentine as their reserve driver for the 2025 season. Indeed, the French team has locked him in with a multi-year deal, testament to their faith in the young man’s potential over the long term.

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore welcomed the signing: “We are very pleased to come to an agreement with Williams Racing to sign Franco Colapinto. Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now. It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula 1 grid last year caught many, me included, by surprise, and his performances have been very impressive for a rookie driver”.

Role at Alpine

Colapinto will play a significant role in Alpine’s 2025 campaign, acting as a replacement if one of its race drivers, either Pierre Gasly or Jack Doohan, could not compete. Also, he would contribute to the testing program with other reserve drivers like Ryo Hirakawa and Paul Aron.

This will see Colapinto attend a number of Grands Prix weekends throughout the year, as well as contribute to the team’s simulator program. This role will provide him with valuable experience and an insight into the inner workings of a top-tier Formula 1 team, further aiding his development as a driver.

Impact on Alpine’s Driver Lineup

Colapinto’s addition to Alpine’s reserve driver ranks brings an interesting dynamic to the team’s driver lineup. While the team has been quick to stress that Colapinto’s arrival has no bearing on its current driver pairing, his presence will no doubt increase the pressure on rookie Jack Doohan.

Doohan, who will make his full-season Formula 1 debut in 2025, will be all too aware of the talented reserve driver waiting in the wings. This could prove to be a healthy competition for seats, which may motivate both drivers and help the team’s overall performance.

Colapinto’s Potential

Only 21, Colapinto is undeniably one of the most exciting prospects in motorsport. A very rapid rise through the junior categories and an excellent performance in Formula 1 debuting have him pegged as a possible future star of the sport.

Colapinto’s ease of adapting to new machinery in quick time and strong performances under pressure are a good omen for his future in Formula 1. His experience across various disciplines of racing, including endurance racing, adds depth to his skill set that could be valuable in the complex world of modern Formula 1.

Implications for Argentine Motorsport

Colapinto’s signing with Alpine is important, not only for the driver himself and the team but also for Argentine motorsport in general. He became the first Argentine driver to take part in Formula 1 since Gastón Mazzacane back in 2001 and the first to score points since Carlos Reutemann back in 198214.

He added that he had won big, aside from securing these great achievements. He also renewed interest in Formula 1 within Argentina, full of rich heritage in motorsport. Definitely, the following of Colapinto’s progress will be one of the highly watched events by its people, awaiting the presence of an Argentine driver full-time in top-category motorsport once again.

Looking Ahead

While Colapinto does have an immediately secure future as a reserve driver for Alpine, the clear ultimate aspiration will be a full-time Formula 1 race seat. In this respect, his performance, both in testing and any potential race outings he may participate in, will certainly be key to defining future prospects for himself.

The multi-year nature of his deal with Alpine would suggest that the team sees long-term potential in Colapinto. If he can continue to impress in his reserve driver role and on an upward trajectory, a future race seat with either Alpine or another Formula 1 team could well be on the cards.

Conclusion

Signing Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season is another important milestone in the young Argentine’s career, strengthening not only Alpine’s driver lineup but taking one of the most promising talents in motorsport one step closer to realizing his Formula 1 dream.

Colapinto’s journey from karting in Argentina to the cusp of a full-time Formula 1 drive underlines his inherent ability, toughness, and suitability for adaptation to challenges. Excellent performances across assorted racing categories culminated in excellent results during the Formula 1 debut of Colapinto in the forthcoming 2024 season. He established himself as most promising for forthcoming times in this course.

Colapinto’s arrival in the Alpine reserve driver ranks brings in a talented young driver who has the eagerness to push their regular drivers and be part of the development of the team. This deepens their driver bench and gives them an important insurance policy should either of their race drivers be unavailable.

This will be the start of a whole new chapter in his career with Alpine, where all eyes are on how well he does in his reserve driver role and if he can take the final step towards a full-time Formula 1 drive. With his talent, determination, and support of a competitive team such as Alpine, Franco Colapinto and Argentine motorsport certainly appear to have much to look forward to in the coming years.