The Argentine was drafted into the team after the Miami Grand Prix, replacing Jack Doohan just six races into the season.

Alpine paid a significant sum to release Colapinto from his Williams reserve contract, with Briatore insisting at the time that a reset was required to change the team’s trajectory.

But after eight races Colapinto remains without a point, his best finishes 13th in Monaco and Canada, and his lack of progress has led Briatore to question whether he was promoted too soon.

“I’ve seen everything already, so I don’t think I need to see anything more,” Briatore said when asked whether Colapinto had done enough to secure his place.

“I think for this driver, it is very difficult to cope with this car as they are very, very heavy and very, very quick for a young driver in Formula 1.

“Maybe it was not the [right] timing to have Franco in Formula 1, and maybe he needs another year to be part of F1.

“I’m not happy with the result; this is what is important, and he tries very hard, we try very hard with the engineering [team], but it is not what I expected from Colapinto.”

F1 regulations allow each team up to four drivers in a single season, meaning Alpine could still make another change if results do not improve.

Briatore admitted that placing Colapinto alongside Pierre Gasly, who has consistently outperformed him, may have been a miscalculation.

“We changed Doohan with Colapinto, and maybe Colapinto had the same problem – too much pressure to be in F1.

“Last year, he had two or three good races, but maybe to be in the team with a good driver like Pierre, and always to be in competition with him, maybe we put too much pressure on him.”

Briatore, who returned to a frontline management role at Enstone earlier this year, also stressed the importance of considering the human side of the sport.

“I think we need to consider that the driver is a human being, and we need time to understand exactly what is going on in the head of these kids, because they are young kids.

“[They are] 19-23, and I think one of our mistakes is underestimating the human part of the driver.

“We are always looking for the timing, and maybe I missed something in the management of Colapinto, but as for the future, honestly, I don’t know.”

Colapinto’s long-term future at Alpine is now the subject of intense speculation.

Two proven potential back-ups for the team were taken off the table this week as Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas signed with the new Cadillac team for 2026.

There had been at least preliminary discussions with both drivers about joining Alpine, with Bottas even considered as a potential 2025 option.

Briatore, however, downplayed the notion that Alpine ever seriously pursued either.

“I talk with a lot of people, I talked with Bottas as well,” he said. “We were talking with Toto as well at the time. But really never there was a discussion for Bottas to drive for Alpine.

“I think [it] helped Bottas a little bit to sign the contract with Cadillac. I like Valtteri, he’s a super driver.

“He was unlucky to be at Mercedes the same time with Lewis [Hamilton], when Lewis was really at the peak of the driving.

“We have a different idea [for our future]. It’s nice to have Valtteri back but I’m looking for something else.”

Briatore also addressed speculation linking Alpine to recently ousted Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, which had ranged from Horner taking a stake in Alpine to a consortium involving Bernie Ecclestone.

“For the moment he’s not in the picture at Alpine,” Briatore said.

He added that nothing had been considered “in this moment” regarding Horner’s potential involvement.