The 22-year-old Argentinian stepped into Jack Doohan’s seat after the Miami Grand Prix in May, with the team opting for change following Doohan’s struggles against Pierre Gasly.
But Colapinto’s start has been equally challenging, marked by crashes and disappointing results that offered little immediate improvement.
Signs of progress have only recently begun to appear, with Colapinto out-qualifying Gasly in three of the last four races and reaching Q2 in Hungary for just the third time this season.
That progress has come under the watch of Alpine executive advisor Briatore, whose views on Colapinto have fluctuated throughout the year.
He initially praised the rookie, saying the switch from Doohan allowed a “complete and fair assessment of the drivers” to “maximise our ambitions next year.”
But following a string of errors, Briatore admitted at the Dutch Grand Prix that it was “maybe not the right timing” to promote Colapinto and that he “wasn’t happy” with his early performances.
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Colapinto, however, insists Briatore’s uncompromising style has been invaluable.
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“I have a very good relationship with Flavio,” he said on the F1: Beyond The Grid podcast.
“He’s hard with everyone and his way of making the team work and motivating the people — it’s sometimes a bit hard and sometimes it can feel, you know, a little bit too much if you don’t know him.
“But he’s someone I really believe in and someone that I believe is going to move this team forward.
“He made me a lot stronger mentally. I’m very grateful for the opportunity of course he gave me but also for all his process you know that we are going through.”
Looking ahead, Colapinto admits his future remains uncertain, with his contract beyond 2025 still undecided.
“No, I don’t know, and I’m not really focused too much on that,” he said.
“I think I want to keep building on this year.
“There is more to learn, and I have much more to find, but I’m feeling better in the car, in the team, and I’m feeling that we are doing a good job together.”
While he is yet to score points, his recent improvements have kept him in contention for Alpine’s 2026 line-up.
Briatore confirmed the second seat will come down to Colapinto or reserve driver Paul Aron, ruling out external options and a return for Doohan.
“It’s between Franco and Paul,” Briatore said.
“Paul is a very nice guy, a very quick driver as well. And I need to understand what is the best for the team, you know?”
Alpine currently sit bottom of the Constructors’ Championship on 20 points — all scored by Gasly.
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