F1 insider warns Franco Colapinto of Alpine boss: “You’re a disposable item”

Formula 1 insider Martin Brundle has fired a warning to Franco Colapinto regarding his future in Formula 1. The Argentine driver who currently races for the Flavio Briatore-led Alpine F1 outfit has witnessed conversation surrounding his immediate future, heralding the spotlight in recent weeks.

These reports regarding the former Williams Racing driver’s future have not been helped by the streak of underwhelming showings he has been on since replacing Jack Doohan at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola this season. Colapinto, since the race in Imola, has participated in eight races and has failed to record points for the French outfit, a run that has stirred concerns from Brundle.

Speaking during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, the 66-year-old on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast detailed that the Alpine team boss, Flavio Briatore, would not hesitate to discard the young Argentine if his poor run continues. He said (quotes via PlanetF1):

“He’s certainly not doing a particularly good job. He looked really spectacular in the early days at Williams, didn’t he? Then he crashed a lot at Williams after that. So, it doesn’t bode [well]. I think 2026 definitely doesn’t bode particularly well.

“But the trouble is with Flavio, as I know well, you’re a disposable item as a racing driver, generally speaking. That’s sort of been his MO through the years because this is a competitive business, not a finishing school, something I’ve said many times before. If you don’t deliver, you’re like a light bulb. They’ll take you out and put another bulb in,” he added.

Indeed, Briatore has a pedigree of discarding drivers whenever they fail to meet expectations. In the 1992 season, Martin Brundle got a first-hand experience of this with the 75-year-old opting to fire him after the season, where he finished sixth with the then Benetton team. In 2003, Briatore also treated Jenson Button to a similar fate, replacing him with Fernando Alonso.

Franco Colapinto could well be set to be meted out a similar fate, especially if his underwhelming run continues through the second half of the current campaign. Several drivers, including Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, have largely been linked with the possibility of replacing the 22-year-old at the Enstone-based outfit.

Franco Colapinto suffers crash at Alpine tire testing

While conversations about the future of Franco Colapinto continue to herald the scene, the driver suffered a crash during the mid-season tire testing program at the Hungaroring. He was among the several drivers involved in the 2026 for manufacturer Pirelli, but suffered a major incident at the Budapest circuit.

Colapinto, who was driving the 2025 A525 challenger, had a moment that resulted in a significant crash at turn 11 of the circuit. The former Williams driver was subsequently taken to the circuit medical centre for a check-up, with the Alpine team affirming in a statement that he was ok.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team

@AlpineF1Team

Team Update During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11. Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK.

Following his medical clearance, Franco Colapinto would take to the circuit, albeit this time in the team’s 2023 challenger, to complete the remainder of his tire testing programme.