Franco Colapinto’s place at Alpine is under the spotlight following a rough Sprint Qualifying session at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Mercedes once again dominated the headlines in the first Sprint Qualifying session of the 2026 Formula 1 season, locking out both front-row positions.
In contrast, Pierre Gasly made a bit of noise by putting his Alpine in seventh place on the grid, while his teammate Franco Colapinto could only manage 16th after being eliminated in SQ2.
After missing out on points again in China and having already been outqualified this season, there’s growing belief that Colapinto needs to turn things around to keep his seat at Alpine.
Alpine frustrated with Franco Colapinto’s 2026 start
Sam Bird, speaking on the BBC’s coverage of F1 Sprint Qualifying in China, didn’t hold back when discussing Franco Colapinto’s recent form. Bird pointed out that Flavio Briatore wants a driver who can compete alongside Gasly this year, but Colapinto hasn’t shown he can reach that level yet.
The Alpine driver has been well off the pace and is starting to feel the pressure after a slow start to 2026. He struggled last season as well, and Bird thinks it’s only a matter of time before Alpine looks elsewhere if things don’t change soon.
“I worry for his seat. We are only in Sprint Qualifying of Round Two of the World Championship, but he had a disastrous year last year, really disastrous,” Bird said.
“When he came into the Williams, everyone thought, ‘Wow, what a breath of fresh air this guy is.’
“He did not do much in F2; he did a really super job when he came into Williams, but last year was bad. It has started again. He is getting slaughtered by Gasly.
Colapinto also faced criticism at the start of 2025 from Sky Sports commentator David Croft and former champion Jenson Button. Many fans feel they’ve been proven right about his struggles now that we’re heading into another tough season for him.
Franco Colapinto faces increased pressure at Alpine after difficult start
Even before the season began, there were questions about whether Franco Colapinto could keep his place at Alpine, and his recent results haven’t done much to ease those concerns.
Colapinto’s 2025 season with Alpine ended without a single point. Coming into 2026, he needed to show clear improvement against Gasly, especially after significant development went into the new car.
Nate Saunders noted ahead of the new year that Colapinto “is under the most pressure” and pointed out how important it was for him to get off to a solid start.
And just before the 2026 season got underway, Flavio Briatore set a clear expectation by stating there are “no more excuses” for Colapinto this year.
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