Franco Colapinto picked up his best-ever Formula 1 result in Miami, raising an interesting question: Is he starting to show a bit of potential at Alpine? 

Now powered by a Mercedes engine, Alpine are in improved form. The Enstone team have consistently been in the mix for points, and Colapinto capitalized on upgrades introduced at the Miami Grand Prix to take seventh—his joint best finish in F1. 

Following a turbulent return to the sport last year, when his future was questioned openly by team boss Flavio Briatore, Colapinto has started this season better. The Argentine has been closer to teammate Pierre Gasly, and he picked up another point for tenth in China as well. Public criticism has been replaced by pats on the back. 

That’s quite the turnaround for someone labelled a “pay driver” just a few months ago. The comeback isn’t quite complete. We’re only a few races into the new campaign. Last season was also a low bar to beat. But Colapinto has done alright so far in 2026. 

Surviving a baptism of fire

Colapinto’s start to life in F1 can be compared to a trial by fire. When he debuted with Williams, replacing Logan Sargeant at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, it was not like he was joining a front-running team. But he did okay, earning points in Azerbaijan & the US. 

Despite reports linking him to a permanent seat, he was then forced to sit out the start of last season. It was only Briatore’s knee-jerk decision to drop Jack Doohan that opened the door to Colapinto’s return—and things didn’t really go so well. Not immediately, anyway. 

He suffered a massive crash on his return at Imola. This was followed by further shunts in Baku, São Paulo, and on a filming day in Budapest. Colapinto enjoyed a small uptick in form in the last few races but failed to score a point, and he was ultimately lucky to keep his seat. 

At Alpine, a team that was (and still is) up for sale, Briatore was taking no prisoners. He definitely offered some “tough love,” some of which was dished out in public. However, young Colapinto survived these near misses and appears to be in decent form.  

The Argentine effect: Colapinto’s noisy fanbase

Anyone who has been to a grand prix since Colapinto’s comeback will likely tell you the same thing: his fans are loud! The first Argentine driver since Gaston Mazzacane (who last competed way back in 2001) has brought South American fans back in droves. 

For F1, it’s probably looked upon as a major positive. Returning fans means greater revenue from an audience that hasn’t had all that much to cheer for in recent times. Last month, at a showrun in Buenos Aires, Colapinto attracted over half a million fans to the city’s streets. 

On the other hand, it’s not like this fanbase is squeaky clean. When Colapinto clashed with Haas’ Esteban Ocon in China, the Frenchman received death threats. Last year, a fake social media post also triggered a backlash against Doohan’s father. So, this isn’t exactly a one-off. 

Alpine have even had to call for respect on socials, such has been the vitriol from online fans. All of this isn’t Colapinto’s fault, of course. But he continues to get involved in on-track incidents that provoke these reactions and raise questions about whether he has fully turned a corner. 

Colapinto still has a lot left to prove

Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s worth remembering that we’re only four races into the season. This isn’t a good dataset for building lasting opinions. Alpine are also reasonably quick, certainly fast enough to compete for points on merit. 

Arguably, the biggest reason that the jury’s still out on Colapinto is his form relative to Gasly’s. Of Alpine’s 23 points, Gasly is still responsible for 16 of them. In 2025, he also wiped the floor with Colapinto, bringing home all 22 points over a dismal campaign. 

Colapinto now has the machinery to compete. If he’s going to make it in F1, he’ll need to do a lot better against his teammate. Having got involved with Ocon in China, Lewis Hamilton in Miami, and Ollie Bearman in Japan, Colapinto also needs clean races. 

Showing potential is one thing. Pleasing a taskmaster like Flavio Briatore is another. He’s a tough customer at the best of times.

Colapinto has earned himself a reprieve, but he needs to keep up the pace, or Briatore’s inner disciplinarian might shine through once again.