Briatore slams Colapinto before FP2: "Maybe needed another year" | OneFootball

While Franco Colapinto's start in the Dutch Grand Prix was very good, the statements from Flavio Briatore, head of Alpine, surprised many, especially due to the harshness of his words. The Italian acknowledged that they may have put too much pressure on the Argentine driver, but he also said he was not satisfied with his performances so far.

"We replaced (Jack) Doohan with Franco and perhaps he has the same problem of too much pressure from being in Formula 1. Maybe we put too much pressure on him. Sometimes we need to consider that the driver is a human being and we need to understand exactly what goes through these boys' heads," the Italian analyzed, at a press conference alongside James Vowles (Williams) and Toto Wolff (Mercedes). He even seemed to agree with Colapinto's main criticism of the car: "I think it's very difficult for a driver to deal with this car".

Up to this point, Il Padrino's words seem to be mild. However, when delving into the matter, he made it clear that he is not satisfied with the level shown by the Argentine so far: "Maybe it wasn't the right time to have him in F1, maybe he needed another year. I'm not happy if you look at the results and that's what's important. He tries very hard. We try very hard with the engineering team to please him in everything, but it's really not what I expect from Colapinto".

Briatore is known for his demands, but so far he had never been so blunt about Colapinto's level, a driver he bet heavily on at the start of the season when he brought him from Williams. However, it is also true that the Italian makes a certain mea culpa, but seems to place a lot of responsibility on the driver and not on the mistakes and constant internal fluctuations that Alpine presents as a team. Thus, the executive said little about the constant changes within the team's structure, the internal struggles at the start of the season, the poor level of the car - which even affects Pierre Gasly, his other driver - and even the mistakes in pit stops and car setup.

Vowles, Colapinto's former boss at Williams, listened carefully to the Italian's words and defended the Argentine, a driver he always acknowledged having a lot of personal esteem for. Thus, the Brit explained his vision and compared it with the Argentine's time at Williams, at a time when the pressures were not the same.

"When the pressure is not there, you can get a lot more out of the driver, because he is not worried about an immediate performance that has an impact. A good example was the first time I put Franco in Silverstone (FP2 of 2024). He thought it was his only chance to be there and my message before was: 'It has nothing to do with lap times, it's about you relaxing and enjoying the moment because it may not happen again'. And he gave an outstanding performance," he assured.

Similarly, Vowles pointed out that the competition today is much stronger, stating that "three tenths separate the entire grid" and that "a small mistake" leaves you last.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.