
Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen believes Franco Colapinto needs time “for that talent to mature and deliver”, as the Argentine prepares to embark on his first full Formula 1 season in 2026.
Colapinto first experienced F1 when he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams midway through the 2024 season and immediately showed strong pace. He reached Q3 and scored his first points in only his second race, in Azerbaijan, before following that up with an SQ3 appearance in Austin and another top-10 finish later that same weekend at the United States Grand Prix.