Jun.30 (GMM) Franco Colapinto is just not the one Alpine driver who might have departed Austria feeling slightly nervous.
Govt advisor and de-facto group boss Flavio Briatore axed rookie Jack Doohan final month, changing him with the highly-rated and Argentine backed fellow rookie Franco Colapinto.
However the 21-year-old has additionally notably struggled within the cockpit – reviving rumours that Briatore’s axe could also be about to swing once more.
“Not significantly,” stated the Argentine driver when requested if he’s frightened, simply as rumours linking Alpine and Valtteri Bottas started to emerge.
“I believe Flavio has been very supportive and trusts the choice he has made.”
Nonetheless, 75-year-old Briatore overtly admits he was sad not solely with Colapinto in Austria, but in addition the group’s clear no 1 driver Pierre Gasly.
Auto Motor und Sport quoted Briatore as criticising the Frenchman for his Q3 spin that meant Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri couldn’t cost for pole. The Italian stated the error was “Not what you count on from a high driver”.
Briatore additionally criticised Colapinto for failing to make the Q3 phase in any respect.
“The automotive was fast and may have been nicely inside Q3 with two automobiles,” he stated, including that Alpine’s tempo then tends to vanish within the grands prix.
“It is vital we perceive why that is, particularly if we wish to flip this season round from this troublesome place,” stated the Italian.
“In the end, now we have misplaced floor to our direct rivals within the Championship after one other race with out scoring factors and, frankly, this degree of efficiency is more and more regarding.”
Briatore stated Colapinto was “a good distance from Q3” on Saturday.
“However we have to put ourselves in a extra aggressive place with each automobiles,” he added.
Colapinto acknowledged: “I most likely want one thing extra, however I lack confidence in high-speed corners.”
The brighter information for Alpine is that L’Equipe believes Briatore has discovered a full-time substitute for Oliver Oakes, who abruptly and inexplicably left the position of group boss not too long ago.
The id of the possible new group principal is Steve Nielsen, who is aware of Briatore and Enstone nicely – though his more moderen postings have been with the FIA and Formulation 1.
L’Equipe correspondent Frederic Ferret believes Nielsen is prone to be appointed “even earlier than the tip of the summer season, even when the sudden departure of Luca de Meo from Renault has undoubtedly difficult the decision-making course of”.
