Franco Colapinto to Alpine: when the F1 season begins and in which race the Argentine can debut

“LET’S GO FRANCO. He joins us on a multi-year contract. “Franco will be our reserve driver for 2025.”was the post they made from the official Alpine account to announce their recent signing.

Then they detailed: “Franco Colapinto will take on the role of test and reserve driver for the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship. The BWT Alpine Formula One team announces today that it has reached an agreement with Williams Racing to secure the services of Franco Colapinto on a multi-year contract.”

For his part, the Argentine wrote: “I am super excited to have the opportunity to join the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. Firstly, I want to thank Williams for all their support from the moment I joined the Academy until the last race in Abu Dhabi. They made my dream of racing in Formula One come true, and I will always be grateful to them for that. Now the time has come for a new chapter, and taking on this challenge with the BWT Alpine Formula One team is a true honour.. Many thanks to Luca [de Meo]Flavius [Briatore] and Oliver [Oakes] for believing in me and welcoming me into the team with open arms.”

“I can’t wait to get started and see where this journey takes us.. I also want to thank all my sponsors and partners who have supported me in the challenges of the 2024 season. Their support has made it possible, and to my incredible fans in Argentina: Thank you so much! Your passion and encouragement mean a lot to me. Let’s aim for even greater things in 2025 and beyond“, Colapinto stated in his message.

The pilot from Pilar arrives with the approval of the main sports advisor of the French team: the controversial Flavio Briatore. “It is clear that Franco is one of the best young talents in motorsport today.. It’s fair to say that his appearance on the Formula One grid last year took many, myself included, by surprise and his performances have been very impressive for a debut driver. We have one eye on our future and his signing means that we have a great group of young drivers to turn to and with whom to work on the development of the team for future successes,” explained the former driver, revalidating Colapinto’s performance during his first 9 racing at Williams Racing.

Beyond the 5 points he added during the 2024 season, Briatore and company also highlight the strong impact that Colapinto and its sponsors can generate off the track. In addition to the flow of interactions from Argentine fans, it is estimated that the Argentine’s main sponsors put up an eight-digit sum in dollars to contribute to the team. Thus, a new chapter opens in the history of Colapinto in the highest category of motorsports.

When will Franco Colapinto debut in the new F1 season?

Finally Alpine broke the F1 market and will take the revelation driver of 2024. However, as last year, the road will not be easy for the Argentine. The thing is that, initially, the Argentine signed with the French team to occupy a role similar to the one he had at Williams Racing: reserve pilot. These conductors have the function of be substitutes for the starters – in this case Doohan and Gasly – and, in addition to being present at each of the races on the calendar, they are also in charge of collaborating in the technical development of the team using the simulators. They also usually participate in private practice with cars that are at least two years old – by regulation – to get used to the speed of the category.

However, there is a key detail of the agreement between Alpine and Colapinto that suggests a possibility of seeing the Argentine become the starting driver of the French team, if one takes into account that the Argentine’s direct competitor will be Doohan.

The 21-year-old Australian driver only has a contract for the first five races of the calendarunlike the Argentine who signed for multiple years. In this way, it is expected that the leadership of the French team will analyze Doohan’s performance in detail and, in the event of results that are below expectations or that do not compete with what Colapinto has demonstrated (including his work in the simulators), it will be He hopes that advisor Flavio Briatore and company will move the pieces and promote the Argentine, who He has already proven to be able to deliver results in the highest category of motorsports.

This is substantially different from the situation Colapinto faced at Williams Racing. The Argentine was behind the Thai Alex Albonwith a contract until the end of 2025, and from Spanish Carlos Sainz, one of the best drivers on the grid and who also has a contract until the end of this season with the option to extend it for another year. In this way, Colapinto’s chances of jumping onto the court They only opened up to a possible injury.

Thus, with the arrival to his new team and with an eye on Doohan’s performance, it is expected that the Argentine debut in this F1 season in the sixth race. It will take place in the Miami International Raceway from May 2 to 4.

Formula 1: all the details of the 2025 season

2025 will be the 75th season of formula one and will begin with a special and unprecedented event in London, England: for the first time, All teams on the grid will present their cars at the same time.. The event will be on Tuesday, February 18 at 5:00 p.m. (Argentina) and will take place at the legendary O2 Arena.

Despite the intention of the International Automobile Federation (FIA)some teams will challenge the sport’s governing body and present their single-seaters a few days before the opening event. Such is the case of Williams Racingformer Colapinto team, who will show their car to the public on February 14. At the moment, no other team confirmed whether they will advance their exhibition.

With the historic event at the O2 Arena the FIA ​​will officially begin the 2025 season, which will be a transition season. For 2026 the FIA ​​determined important changes to the regulations to which the teams must adapt and that will promise to increase competitiveness between teams like never before.

After this will come the classic preseason tests. They will be carried out in Bahrain from February 26 to 28 with times to be confirmed. These tests consist of three days of 8 hours each, divided into two four-hour sessions, where the teams and their drivers put the cars to the test for the first time ahead of the new season.

Then, The drivers will have their first official weekend of the season from March 13 to 16 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia. In total, there will be 24 dates – with 6 sprint races – in which the drivers will test their speed.

The complete Formula 1 calendar in 2025:

• Preseason: Test in Bahrain (February 26 to 28)
• Date 1: Australian Grand Prix (March 13 to 16)
• Date 2: Chinese Grand Prix (March 20 to 23)*
• Date 3: Japanese Grand Prix (April 3 to 6)
• Date 4: Bahrain Grand Prix (April 11 to 13)
• Date 5: Saudi Arabia Grand Prix (April 18 to 20)
• Date 6: Miami Grand Prix (May 2 to 4)*
• Date 7: Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix (May 16 to 18)
• Date 8: Monaco Grand Prix (May 23 to 25)
• Date 9: Spanish Grand Prix (May 30 to June 1)
• Date 10: Canadian Grand Prix (June 13 to 15)
• Date 11: Austrian Grand Prix (June 27 to 29)
• Date 12: British Grand Prix (July 4 to 6)
• Date 13: Belgian Grand Prix (July 25 to 27)*
• Date 14: Hungarian Grand Prix (August 1 to 3)
• Date 15: Dutch Grand Prix (August 29 to 31)
• Date 16: Italian Grand Prix (September 5 to 7)
• Date 17: Azerbaijan Grand Prix (September 19 to 21)
• Date 18: Singapore Grand Prix (October 2 to 5)
• Date 19: United States Grand Prix (October 17 to 19)*
• Date 20: Mexican Grand Prix (October 24 to 26)
• Date 21: Brazilian Grand Prix (November 7 to 9)*
• Date 22: Las Vegas Grand Prix (November 20 to 22)
• Date 23: Qatar Grand Prix (November 28 to 30)*
• Date 24: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (December 5 to 7)