The Argentine pilot is in a complicated situation after several attempts to add points before the decision of the second headline is made in the next season.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix left a key moment when Alex Albon hit Franco Colapinto on Tour 18. The Williams pilot received a sanction of 10 seconds for the maneuver, while the Argentine saw the performance of his Alpine affected. The front wing damage reduced its speed and relegated it to the last position of the race. In addition, the executive advisor, Flavio Briatore provided an interview and reduced the search for the pilot that will occupy the second Alpine seat the 2026 season.
Colapinto began competition from 16 after a classification with difficulties. During free practices, a slight contact against the wall with the left tire generated an interruption with a red flag. Although the incident with Albon truncated his advance, the pilot continued on the track looking to recover ground in the street circuit of Baku.
Franco Colapint
F1
Albon’s touch to Colapinto in Baku
The contact between both pilots It happened when Colapinto showed solid performanceeven surpassing his teammate, Pierre Gasly. The clash in Tour 17 ruined his chances of adding pointssince until then it was in the 13th place.
Max Verstappen was awarded the victory in Bakufollowed by George Russell (Mercedes) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari). Colapint, on the other hand, ended in position 19 after two stops in boxes to repair the damage. Oscar Piastri, leader of the championship with McLaren, left the race after losing control of his car.
Briatore talks about the future of Alpine and Paul Aron
The definition of the second seat in Alpine by 2026 is reduced to two options according to Flavio Briatore. The French team advisor ruled out Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda, leaving as the only candidates for Franco Colapinto and the pilot Reserve Paul Aron. The final decision will come between the great awards of Mexico and Brazil, where Colapinto will have the support of its sponsors.
Briatore stressed that the election will depend on performance in the next races. “Paul Aron demonstrates speed and professionalism”he said, but clarified that the main criterion will be the benefit for the team. The Italian recalled how pilots such as Schumacher, Hamilton and Alonso stood out from lower categories, marking a standard of excellence.
In Baku’s FP3, Colapinto showed a good level to the register a time of almost two minutes, surpassing Gasly for more than half a second. Although Alpine faced limitations due to the lack of power in the circuit, the Argentine maintained consistency in his laps, especially with hard tires.
Source: Ambito
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