The rookie sparked controversy at the United States Grand Prix after ignoring a late-race order to stay behind Gasly, diving past into Turn 1 on the final lap to claim 17th place. Gasly was then overtaken by the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto, dropping to last.
Colapinto defended the move in the aftermath, saying: “We had quite a bit more pace than Pierre in the last stint and had Bortoleto really close behind, attacking very hard. He was much quicker than us and it was holding me up with how slow Pierre was.”
But the incident drew a stern response from Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen, who stated: “As a team, any instruction made by the pit wall is final and today we are disappointed that this didn’t happen.”
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Colapinto appeared to walk back his comments, conceding that the situation had been handled internally.
“The team situation on Sunday has been discussed internally and it is clear that instructions by the team must always be followed no matter what,” he said.
“We are all together, and we are all working towards the same goal to keep getting better with each session and each race weekend.”
The 22-year-old admitted Austin had been a “challenging weekend” as he struggled to find balance with the car and adapt to the tricky conditions, adding that Alpine needs to “understand more closely why we struggled so much with the car and work to fix this going forward.”
Colapinto’s decision to go against orders came at a sensitive time for the team, with his seat beyond 2025 still uncertain.
Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore recently revealed that Colapinto and test and reserve driver Paul Aron are both under consideration for a 2026 race seat.
Aron’s appearance in Free Practice 1 this weekend adds further intrigue, as the Estonian will step into Gasly’s car for the session.
“I enjoyed the experience in Monza a lot and found it incredibly useful for my own personal development,” Aron said.
“I’m very grateful to the team for granting me this further opportunity.”
Aron will be one of nine rookie drivers taking part in FP1 in Mexico City.
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