Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto is gearing up for the Austrian Grand Prix, the 11th race in the Formula 1 calendar, and his fifth for Alpine F1 since taking over from Australia’s Jack Doohan.

The race could also be his last for the French-owned team. The 22-year-old was confirmed only for the following five races when announced as a main driver back in May. Since then, the team’s executive advisor Flavio Briatore has insisted the deadline is “only in [Argentines’] minds,” but there has been no official statements regarding Colapinto’s future.

With the 75-year-old team boss previously stating that Colapinto needed to “be fast, not crash, and score points” to keep his seat, how has the Argentine driver done so far and what does he need in Austria?

How has Colapinto fared at Austria?

The Austrian GP is held at the Red Bull Ring, in Spielberg, a track that brings Colapinto fond memories. 

It’s one of F1’s faster tracks, with a set of three long straights that feed multiple heavy braking zones and tight turns, providing plenty of opportunity for overtakes and side by side racing.

However, these corners make it very easy for drivers to step out of bounds and gain an advantage, something race stewards have kept a keen eye out for in recent years. In 2023’s qualifying, 47 lap times were deleted for this reason and only two drivers completely in the clear.

As always, the mission for Colapinto remains one of staying out of trouble and closely matching the pace of teammate Pierre Gasly. The high altitude and power-sensitive nature of the track will make it hard for the Renault-powered Alpines to make headway in the grid, but being in the spot to pick up the pieces could fall in their favor.

The 22-year-old Argentine has driven several times on the track, achieving plenty of solid results. In 2021, he took the win at the sprint race in the Fórmula Regional Europe event at Austria. A year later, he picked up a third place in the sprint race in Formula 3.

His best result in Austria, however, came in 2024. Racing for MP Motorsport in Formula 2, he went one better, claiming the second stand of the podium in the main race, behind current Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto.

Colapinto though looks to be in eager spirits ahead of the race. According to an Alpine press release, he said: “It was not the result that we wanted from the weekend in Canada, but we made good progress session by session and showed we had potential in the car. We just need to keep working hard and keep making steps in the right direction ahead of Austria this weekend.” 

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During the break from Canada, Colapinto made a stopover in New York City for the premiere of F1: The Movie. “It was a once in a lifetime experience to walk the red carpet in Times Square and meet Brad Pitt. Safe to say, it will be a day I’ll never forget,” he said. 

Cars will take to the track in Austria on Friday, June 28 with the first practice sessions: first at 8:30 a.m. and then at 12 p.m. Saturday will open with a third practice at 7:30 a.m., followed by the qualifying session at 11 a.m.

The race, set to run for 71 laps, will go ahead on Sunday 29th at 10 a.m. The race can be followed via cable TV outlet Fox Sports and through 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.

How has Colapinto done so far with Alpine?

It’s been a bittersweet run for the 22-year-old Argentine driver since taking over as one of Alpine’s main drivers. 

A troubled debut at the Emilia Romagna GP saw him crash out of Q1 and start 16th. On Sunday, he was unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car, but also struggled to extract the most out of his car and finished in the same position he started.

Promoted from last place to 18th on the Monaco GP’s qualifying, the race proved a solid if slightly anonymous performance. He cashed in from crashes by Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto and teammate Pierre Gasly to move up to 13th.

The Spanish GP at Barcelona was where most people expected Colapinto to shine. Taking to a track where he had raced many times in his career and tasted plenty of victories and podiums, it was perhaps his most disappointing performance. A driveline issue prevented him from attempting to get into Q2 on Saturday, but he was unable to improve on it on Sunday. An unorthodox pit-stop strategy by the team left him stranded at the back of the grid, finishing 15th.

His best performance came a race later, at a track he had never run before, the Circuito Gilles Villeneuve. He turned in his best qualifying performance for Alpine, entering Q2 and only just missing out on a Q3 spot. On Sunday, he was lightning quick off the line, overtaking the Williams driver into turn three. However, he struggled to keep it up, and finished in 13th.