Alpine F1 boss Flavio Briatore said it was maybe “not the timing” to have Argentine driver Franco Colapinto on the team in a blisteringly forthright press conference on Friday. 

The 75-year-old, who was instrumental in the Argentine racer’s arrival at the Renault-owned team, was speaking in the team principals’ press conference ahead of the Dutch F1 Grand Prix. He said he’d “seen everything” in Colapinto’s performances and that it was “not what I expect from [him].”

“I don’t need to see anything anymore. It’s difficult. For this driver, it’s very difficult to cope with this car,” Briatore told the press. “For a young driver to put in Formula 1, maybe it was not the timing to have Franco in Formula 1.”

The Alpine boss went on to compliment Colapinto’s hard work and dedication to giving the team’s engineers everything they need to improve their chances, but admitted that results are the priority.

“Last year, he had two or three races with [Williams F1], where he did very well,” he added, but suggested that being “always in competition” with a top-tier driver like Pierre Gasly put “too much pressure on him.”

Briatore added he might have “missed something” when it came to Colapinto’s development, and that team managers can “underestimate the human part of the driver.”

Colapinto had received positive news ahead of the Dutch GP, with two experienced drivers in Sergio “Checo” Pérez and Valtteri Bottas being announced as Cadillac F1 drivers for 2026, taking two big names off the drivers market and boosting his chances of keeping the Alpine seat into next season. 

However, Briatore admitted he’s unsure what the future holds for the Argentine driver, and whether he’ll remain in the main Alpine seat for 2026.

“The driver is a human being, and we need to understand what’s going on in the heads of these kids,” he said. “For the future, honestly, I don’t know.”

The 75-year-old had previously been very protective about criticism of Colapinto, questioning whether the media’s fixation on him and Argentine fans’ fervent support was helpful for the 22-year-old. At the time, he insisted there was nothing to report regarding Colapinto’s tenure at the team, and insisted the team was happy with the Argentine driver’s performance.