Franco Colapinto’s situation under Alpine boss deemed “a WWII Bomb” by F1 veteran

Former F1 driver Riccardo Patrese has likened Alpine boss Flavio Briatore to a "WWII bomb" while analyzing Franco Colapinto's future at the team. Patrese believes his fellow countryman "can explode" at any time, and replace Colapinto in the coming future.

Franco Colapinto has come under huge pressure at Alpine after having underperformed in his first six races of 2025. He was brought in to replace Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix, and has already outlived his reported five-race contract at the French team.

But multiple reports have suggested that the young Argentine is now under immense pressure from Flavio Briatore and risks losing his seat.

Former Benetton driver Riccardo Patrese, who raced under Briatore, has weighed in on this subject. He claims that nothing can be predicted about Briatore and what move he will make next.

"Anything can happen with Briatore," said Patrese. [via Prime Casino]

"From my point of view, he is like a bomb that can explode at any minute, a Second World War bomb that you discover in some places around the world which goes off," he added.

Franco Colapinto made a name for himself last year when he stepped into the Williams team to replace Logan Sargeant for the final nine races of the season. The rookie impressed with his performances, scoring two points finishes in his first four races.

But with all seats already being full in 2025, Colapinto was unable to receive a slot. He did, however, secure a gig as reserve driver for Alpine, and was promoted into the race seat at the Emilia-Romagna GP.

But the man from Pilar has been unable to perform any magic in a sub-par Alpine this year. He is yet to score a single point after six races, and could not even start the race at the most recent British GP.

---

Franco Colapinto "not safe" at Alpine, claims Patrese

Franco Colapinto with Flavio Briatore at the Australian Grand Prix - Source: Getty

Riccardo Patrese has also claimed that Franco Colapinto is "not safe" at Alpine, given his track record so far in 2025. The Italian also added that Flavio Briatore will not be helping boost his driver's morale at all.

Speaking to the aforementioned source, Patrese has expressed fear for Colapinto's future at Alpine.

"With Colapinto not performing and making accidents, he can have a problem with Briatore, who won’t help with a driver’s morale. So Colapinto in this moment is not safe," said Patrese.

One of Briatore's demands from Colapinto when he was subbed in after Miami was reportedly not to be involved in too many crashes. The 22-year-old crashed in his very first qualifying session at Imola. He also suffered a crash during qualifying for the British GP, before being unable to start the race.

It now remains to be seen how much longer Briatore will keep Colapinto on beyond his original five-race contract.