Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto concluded what was undoubtedly his worst weekend as a Formula 1 driver at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone on Sunday. But while the 22-year-old will certainly be eager to leave it behind and focus on what’s next, his performance left plenty to talk about, including his future with Alpine, team boss Flavio Briatore and even his father.

Despite having a fairly solid record at Silverstone, the Argentine struggled mightily, compounding a crash on Saturday’s qualifier with a technical problem that ended his race after one lap on Sunday.

“It was disappointing not to be able to get out there,” he told Alpine’s media team, insisting he was looking forward to the race and taking advantage of the rainy conditions to make up for the qualifying mistake.”

The Argentine added that the team still isn’t clear what went wrong with the gearbox, which got stuck in second gear and stalled the car after he veered into the pits to switch to dry-track tyres after the formation lap.

“We tried a few things to get going again, but in the end, we had to retire the car,” the 22-year-old Argentine driver said. “As a racer, days like [Sunday] are when you want to be out there. As we have seen from the others starting further back, there were possibilities to make big gains today.”

Flavio Briatore, the team’s de facto leader, offered a more curt assessment, calling the issue in the Argentine’s car “a pity” that ended his race before it even started.

Social media reactions

Colapinto received perhaps his biggest outpouring of support from his team’s social media account. “With you every step of the way, [Franco],” read the message on one of Alpine’s latest Instagram posts, which contained a number of encouraging comments from Argentine fans.

Colapinto’s father, Aníbal, was less diplomatic. Without naming names, he uploaded a story to his account, urging his followers not to worry when people speak ill of them, as “successful people are often criticized by mediocre and envious folk.”

In a separate post, the team encouraged the driver, writing “Let’s put all our efforts into the next one.” It’s worth remembering that Alpine only confirmed Colapinto as a driver for five races, all of which have been completed as of the Austrian GP. 

The Argentine’s future with the team has since been described by specialized outlets as “race by race.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also recently confirmed that it’s in talks with Alpine about a potential move to bring in the Finnish veteran driver Valtteri Bottas.

Bottas himself acknowledged the chatter during an interview with the streaming service Viaplay.

“We’ve held talks, but they’ve just been that: talks,” said the former Williams and Mercedes driver. “Last year, I learned that nothing is done until names are written on a paper, and I haven’t signed anything yet.”

He looked hopeful about a potential move, saying that “it’s good people are talking,” but that he wants to “keep a cool head” and wait until “things get clearer” about potentially replacing the Argentine driver.