Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto is back in Formula 1 after Alpine F1 confirmed he will be replacing Australia’s Jack Doohan. While this was the news many fans had been waiting for, the announcement from the team made clear that the Argentine driver was only confirmed for the seat over the next five races.

As per Alpine’s press release, it remains unclear what performance the Argentine needs to produce in order to extend his stay. The Renault-owned team currently sits second from the bottom in the Constructors’ Championship standings, so putting together a run of points finishes is a must for Colapinto. Improvement on Doohan’s zero points will be the first objective. After that, matching the pace of lead driver Pierre Gasly will take priority.

This could be a key moment for the Argentine to land the Alpine drive permanently. While the team is still powered by the Renault engines, it has been announced they’ll be making the switch to Mercedes power for 2026, currently powering the strongest team on the grid, McLaren. The 2026 season will also come with a significant technical regulation change, which could upset the current order of the field.

Where will Franco Colapinto race?

While Colapinto only has five races to showcase his talent, the calendar will lend him a hand in doing so. Four of the five tracks he will race in — namely Imola, Monaco, Barcelona and Austria — are familiar to him, having raced them in the 2024 F2 season. 

Colapinto’s first race in his new colors will be the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at the Imola race track, from May 16 to 18. The track’s fast, swooping corners favors an aggressive style of driving like his and make it an ideal spot for the 21-year-old racer’s debut.

He’s been crowned twice at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, first in F3 in 2022, then in F2 in 2024. It was also at Imola where he pulled his famed pass on his now-teammate Paul Aron, a move that allegedly got him the attention of Williams team principal James Vowles. Estonian Aron, is currently a reserve driver at Alpine, and will be eager to impress if Colapinto does not perform in his five-race stint in the car.

The next stop will be the historic Monaco Grand Prix, from May 23 to 25. The years haven’t been kind to what was once F1’s most important race. The narrow street circuit makes it nearly impossible for drivers to overtake one another in current F1 cars, which are among the longest and wider the series has ever had. As such, qualifying and strategy are the name of the game in Monaco. Colapinto will have to bring his A-game on Saturday, stay clear of any trouble and hope to make gains as teams make their pit stops. 

The Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona from May 30 to June 1 wraps up the European triple header. It’s another track the Argentine driver should have fond memories of, having earned a second-place finish in F2 there. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a very technical circuit. Its combination of high-speed straights, sweeping corners and low-speed sections make it a very well rounded track, one of the reasons why F1 hosts its testing sessions there, as it allows teams to learn more about their cars.

After that, F1 takes a two week hiatus before returning to the Americas for the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal from June 13 to 15. It’s the only track Colapinto hasn’t raced before. He’ll do well to avoid the infamous ‘Wall of Champions,’ a barrier on the outside at the final chicane‘s exit. It received the name at the 1999 race, when three Formula One World Champions — Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve — all crashed there in one weekend. Since then, it has also claimed former champions Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel as victims among others.

The last of Colapinto’s five confirmed races will be at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, from June 27 to 29. It’s another track that brings him fond memories, with the Argentine racer having secured two podiums (a second place in F2 and a third in F3) in his previous outings there. It’s another track that favors aggressive racing, with several overtaking spots and wide turns, but one where race stewards will keep a keen eye out for track limits violations.

How can I watch Colapinto’s races?

In Argentina, F1 races aren’t always broadcast live on open or cable TV. Outlet Fox Sports confirmed the Imola and Monaco races will be shown at a later hour, although Spain, Canada and Austria will go live on cable TV.

For a live broadcast, fans can subscribe to streaming service Disney+’s Premium package, currently listed at AR$18.399 (US$ 16,15 at the official rate) per month. The series’ official broadcast, F1TV, also shows the races live, requiring the Pro package that comes at US$69,99.