Franco Colapinto is Alpine’s F1 test and reserve driver for the 2025 season.
In January 2025, Alpine announced that they had completed the signing of Colapinto as their reserve driver for the upcoming campaign. Colapinto is expected to replace Jack Doohan at some point during the middle of the campaign.
Alpine’s interest in Colapinto had been clear for several months, with executive advisor Flavio Briatore speaking publicly about the Argentine. Briatore is understood to be unconvinced by Doohan, making Colapinto’s debut with the team a serious possibility.
While Colapinto’s junior career isn’t stellar, he was handed the opportunity to race in F1 once Williams made the decision to drop Logan Sargeant in the middle of the 2024 season. Colapinto was drafted in from the Italian Grand Prix onwards.
Almost immediately, Colapinto adapted to life in F1 well, getting on level terms with his highly rated teammate Alex Albon. Colapinto scored points in his second race as an F1 driver, finishing eighth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
He followed it up with another top 10 result at the United States Grand Prix. His season tailed off with a number of incidents and, as a result, he was forced to run older parts amid Williams’ shortage issues. Colapinto’s rocky end to the season meant interest shown by Red Bull and Alpine dwindled.
Alpine renewed that interest in the New Year by signing him as their reserve and test driver, with a likely view to putting him in their car at some point in 2025.