Colapinto, launched onto the beaches of Normandy with a pistol and two months of training

"See you in Imola, pa…" Thus ended the brilliant, viral commercial from Franco Colapinto 's sponsor, announcing his long-awaited return to Imola with Alpine. For months, the gasps of Argentine fans could be heard. Having become a dazzling star in his home country, Colapinto regained the opportunity to confirm those dazzling flashes he had with Williams in 2024.

On his debut at Imola, he crashed his car in Q2. At Silverstone, the final round, he didn't make it past the first crash due to another accident. The camera footage revealed his difficulties handling the car that Pierre Gasly had brought into Q3. Before the start, a transmission problem left him stranded. As he parked his car in the garage, his voice on the radio betrayed the beginnings of tears.

The high expectations raised last year, combined with his personal charisma, turned him into a star whose brilliance is in danger of becoming fleeting and even fading. Today, Franco Colapinto could become just another broken toy, squeezed by the brutal grinder of Formula 1. Does he have the necessary talent, or is he the product of exaggerated and hasty expectations? Because Franco Colapinto's career resembles that of a marine launched onto the beaches of Normandy with a pistol and a couple of months of training.

Colapinto's engine won't start

In just four races with Williams, he scored points twice (Baku and Singapore). His uninhibited personality completed the challenge. Although inexperience and mounting pressure took their toll. Accidents in Baku, Las Vegas , and two at Interlagos slowed the impact of that initial impression. He failed to score points in the remaining five races, finishing three of them with a best result of twelfth . Red Bull considered his candidacy, which was halted for various reasons. Carlos Sainz arrived, and Colapinto left behind a truncated history that would have taken him far too far to fully realize his competitive and media potential.

Briatore's decision to seat him on the Alpine bench confirmed this latent potential. If the Italian had his eye on you like he did with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso... However, after six races, rumors circulated at Silverstone that Briatore had contacted Toto Wolff about possibly replacing the Argentinian with Valtteri Bottas. Given the Italian's urgency and strict demands on his drivers, there's no guarantee that the Argentinian will finish the season without changing the situation, should he be given the time to do so.

If his teammate is the benchmark, Colapinto is two-tenths slower than Gasly on average in qualifying. He didn't make it past Q1 in his first three races, four at Silverstone, and he hasn't scored points yet. The Argentine isn't responding because perhaps expectations were raised beyond the stratosphere and unrealistically for his circumstances. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton could serve as benchmarks .

What is being asked of Colapinto?

At Williams, the Argentine was a blank slate, enjoying widespread popularity and room for maneuver. It was a different story with Briatore. His signing came with a five-race ultimatum, which the Alpina boss later clarified, but without any pressure. As the races progressed, the atmosphere around the Argentine became more tense.

However, Colapinto recalled in Montreal a harsh reality that is often overlooked in his case . "It's very difficult to compare performance when there's no training, when everyone has been testing in Bahrain for I don't know how many days, when everyone has done so much driving and you're just getting used to a car that's very difficult to drive." In other words, Colapinto has returned to Formula 1 bare bones , and with nine races under his belt.

In addition to jumping back on the fast track, the Argentinian is discovering a single-seater he only tested before Imola in the simulator, and which has Alpine in last place . "It's not an easy car to drive, so getting that lap time isn't easy. It took me a while to understand what I had to do with my driving, what I had to change, what I needed from the car to feel a little happier, and, in general, it took me a little longer than expected," he explained in Montreal, where he had his best race, the only time he has beaten Gasly on Saturday.

The difficulties Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton are facing in 2025 are well documented, despite their accumulated experience in Formula 1 with single-seaters of various generations. So, what level of results is Colapinto expected to achieve given his background and personal circumstances? "In general, there are some aspects of the setup that haven't worked for me . I felt very out of step with everything: with the car's tools, with the setup, one thing was in conflict with the other..." explained the Argentine, in similar words and with similar processes heard with Sainz and Hamilton.

"We need the car to be a little more predictable. We know our weaknesses. The car is fast when it's on the window, but when it goes out, it becomes quite difficult to drive," he explained at Silverstone. "Pierre Gasly has similar issues, but after three years of driving the car, it's very easy for him to understand where the limit is." The on-board footage and his hand movements on the steering wheel confirmed this.

With limited track time, the driver needs to explore setup avenues that fit his personal preferences, in a new car, with different systems and organizations. He has no personal database other than nine weekends with Williams. Furthermore, with the media-driven rigor imposed by Formula 1, the fresh spontaneity of his early days with Williams is also being tamed. Six races in, and he's under scrutiny. His predecessor, Jack Doohan, knows this.

Like those parents who throw their young baby into the pool to keep him above water as best he can, Franco Colapinto with Flavio Briatore and Alpine. It's the harsh and indisputable reality of Formula 1: there's a queue waiting, and then the next one will come. A victim of his initial explosion, of the fervor of a long-standing fan base waiting for its new motorsports messiah— a fan base that's sometimes excessive—hopefully, Colapinto has a run to the end of the season. Because the star is losing its brilliance...