F1 team welcome NEW driver Franco Colapinto as contract pressure intensifies

Max Verstappen, Franco Colapinto, Red Bull, Williams, Abu Dhabi, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team welcome NEW driver as contract pressure intensifies

Alpine F1 team have officially welcomed Franco Colapinto to their ranks

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 24 January 2025 12:57 Updated: 16:05

A Formula 1 team has officially welcomed a new driver signing to their ranks ahead of the 2025 season.

F1 teams and drivers across the grid are currently hard at work behind the scenes to prepare for the 2025 championship, with pre-season testing now just a month away at the Bahrain International Circuit.

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Despite this year's first round of the championship being less than two months away, there have been some recent changes to driver lineups for 2025.

Red Bull confirmed following the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi that they would be dropping Sergio Perez from their ranks, replacing him with junior driver Liam Lawson.

The 22-year-old will race alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull for 2025, but the team's lineup is unknown beyond that following rumours that Verstappen had been approached by Aston Martin in a potential swoop.

Sergio Perez (centre) will not race in the F1 2025 championship

Max Verstappen has faced frequent questions over a potential F1 team swap after 2025

Alpine welcome Colapinto after 2025 team switch

Another driver swap which could be on the cards even sooner than Verstappen's potential move is Franco Colapinto's potential promotion back onto the F1 grid.

The former Williams star always knew he'd be out of a full-time seat in 2025 after replacing Logan Sargeant at the Grove-based outfit midway through last season, with the team having already secured the driver duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz for this year.

Colapinto was expected to be retained by Williams for the upcoming season as a reserve driver but instead, Alpine swooped in and signed him up to join their ranks as a reserve after the team's advisor Flavio Briatore expressed a keen interest in his talents.

Alpine newbie Franco Colapinto has reportedly been signed as a reserve driver to put pressure on rookie Jack Doohan

Briatore sparked a debate over whether Colapinto could be back racing full-time in F1 as early as this season as Alpine's 2025 rookie signing Jack Doohan has been placed under immense pressure to perform right from the get-go.

As the team's preparations for 2025 get underway, Alpine have officially welcomed Colapinto to their Enstone HQ with a post on 'X'.

The Argentine racer went on to address fans directly from the team's social media account, declaring: "Hello everyone it’s Franco here, my first day in Alpine, I’ve been in the simulator today,"

"Getting to know the team, a lot of new faces, new opportunities, new challenges, so really excited about this season.

"A lot of work to do but really happy, really happy to be here with a new family and it’s looking great so exciting days ahead and hope to see you soon guys."

Bienvenido a Enstone, Franco 👋 pic.twitter.com/Xi4FVcVSbl
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) January 23, 2025

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here she realised her background in journalism and love of motorsport could be combined, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work more closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan which she hopes to build on.

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Red Bull McLaren Formula 1 pre-season testing 2025 season Bahrain International Circuit