Franco Colapinto has insisted he retains the full support of Alpine boss Flavio Briatore despite causing a costly accident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Argentine driver locked up during a safety car restart and collided with teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris, ruining Alpine's chances of a double points finish.
Briatore's post-race statement sparked speculation that Colapinto could be dropped for the following race in Malaysia as punishment. However, the team decided against benching him. Instead, Colapinto was flown directly to the UK after the race to spend time in the simulator at the factory, arriving in the early hours. It is understood this was not a penalty but an acclimatisation strategy due to the time difference for the next leg of the triple-header.
Speaking at Sepang on Thursday, Colapinto calmly dismissed any suggestion that his seat was under threat. "Not really," he said when asked if being replaced by reserve driver Paul Aron was a possibility. "Actually, I went straight after the race to the sim. I was in the factory straight away. Getting ready for the race here in Malaysia. Those things never change."
He admitted that Briatore and the entire team were angry, but they resolved the issue internally. "Flavio was angry and everyone in the team was angry. It's not a nice situation to be in and even worse to be the one creating that situation. It's the last thing that you want as a team," he added. "But we fixed it internally and they've been fully supportive – and willing to look forward very quickly."
Data analysis revealed that while the accident looked clumsy, it was a relatively small mistake. The slipstream effect meant Colapinto was carrying more speed and demanded slightly too much from the brakes. "Touch the brakes 2-3% too much, you lock the front and you don't stop," he explained. "It's quite simple. Everyone had a lock-up. It's just in a point where you are running with much more speed – you suddenly have a lot of energy because you didn't deploy [on the straight, because of the safety car]. We were suddenly doing 320, 330 [km/h] in a corner that maybe you are not [usually] doing as much."
Despite the incident, Colapinto still faces a five-place grid drop for the next race. The support from Alpine and Briatore shows the team's faith in his potential. As the team builds for the future, Colapinto remains a key part of their plans. He will need to repay that trust with a strong performance in Malaysia.
In the high-pressure world of Formula 1, mistakes are inevitable, but how a driver responds defines their career. Colapinto has shown maturity beyond his years, and with the backing of his team, he is determined to move forward and prove that Baku was just a bump in the road.
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