F1 star Franco Colapinto gives OWN damning assessment of his 2025 season

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F1 star gives OWN damning assessment of his 2025 season

Colapinto's 2025 season was one to forget

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 7 January 2026 21:57

F1 driver Franco Colapinto has admitted that he felt incapable of going fast for the first time in his career with Alpine last season.

The Argentine racer was handed a career lifeline by the Enstone-based squad when they picked him up after his Williams exit and handed him a reserve role for the 2025 championship.

Alpine had put their faith in former reserve driver Jack Doohan for 2025, with the Aussie star lining up on the grid for his first home grand prix last March alongside the team's reliable signing Pierre Gasly.

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But after just six rounds, Alpine had decided Doohan was not a suitable fit, plucking Colapinto out from his background role and inserting him into their full-time lineup instead.

The 22-year-old's stock had risen after impressing at Williams in 2024, but after the final round of 2025, he remains the only driver, aside from Doohan, to have failed to pick up a single point all year.

Colapinto: 'This year was a very long year'

Alpine themselves admitted that they had accepted any form of success was not likely to be on the cards last season after they abandoned their 2025 car early on to focus on their 2026 challenger.

This year new regulations will sweep into the sport which are likely to reset the competitive field, meaning Alpine and Colapinto both get a fresh start to prove themselves.

Speaking to Rolling Stone Argentina, Colapinto reflected on his first full-time season in the sport, admitting that though he learned a lot, he had never felt so incapable of achieving success in his career.

“This year, I think it was a very long year," said the Alpine star.

"It was a year in which I learned a lot. A year in which I had a number of incredible experiences that I didn't think I would have in my first year in F1, and I think it was a very sudden learning curve in terms of how to control my emotions and how to manage difficult moments.

“It was a tough year for everyone. I don't think I've ever had a season where I felt so incapable of going fast, of being where I wanted to be, because at the end of the day, we athletes, I in particular, are very competitive.”

“I had never had a year where I said, ‘I can't win, I can't make it to the podium, I can't fight for a position.’ I always knew that if I did things right and worked well with the team, I would be able to do it. And this year, winning for us would mean gaining a point. So, at that level, when you see that the result isn't coming, it's very difficult to handle, and it's the first year that something like this has happened to me.”

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F1 Alpine Franco Colapinto