One year after making the blunt remark that “the problem was you,” Flavio Briatore has explained why he confronted Franco Colapinto so directly, insisting the criticism helped the young Argentine unlock his full potential at Alpine.
A driver who had become “the problem”
Franco Colapinto’s Formula 1 career began during the second half of the 2024 season when the Argentine replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams. Despite competing in only a handful of races for the Grove-based team, he quickly impressed with his performances, earning an opportunity to join Alpine as the team’s reserve driver for the following campaign.
His promotion to Pierre Gasly’s teammate came as early as Imola, where he replaced Jack Doohan. However, his first races with the Enstone squad failed to convince Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore. That frustration became public during the latest season of Drive to Survive, when the Italian manager looked Colapinto in the eye and told him: “The problem is you.”
Why Briatore said it
Months later, with Colapinto now enjoying a much stronger run of form, Briatore was asked on the Beyond The Grid podcast whether he regretted making such a harsh statement. His answer left little room for doubt, as he explained exactly why he chose to confront the driver so directly.
“No. There’s always this feeling that the driver is untouchable while the mechanics work day and night,” Briatore explained. “Our mechanics finished work at two o’clock in the morning. But when it comes to talking to the driver, people think you have to be extremely careful. That’s not how it works.”
“The driver is the chief executive of the company. He’s the one who delivers the results for the team, and you have to tell him the truth. That’s what I believe. I don’t go behind his back and speak to the media; I say it directly to him. The problem is you, full stop.”
Briatore added that the situation has since changed completely thanks to Colapinto’s improvement.
“Now the problem is no longer a problem because Franco is performing at his best. But at that time, it was. I told him: ‘Between you and Pierre, there are a thousand people working for you, and you have to respect those people. You have to show me that you’re doing everything possible to achieve results.'”
According to Briatore, one of Colapinto’s biggest mistakes was constantly comparing himself with Pierre Gasly instead of trusting his own instincts.
“Before every briefing, he was always looking at what Pierre was doing. I told him: ‘That’s wrong. You have to drive the car your own way. There’s no need to drive while thinking about the telemetry. You have talent—drive the car the way you like to drive it.'”
Colapinto’s future at Alpine
Briatore also addressed Colapinto’s future with Alpine, although he stopped short of revealing any specific details about the team’s plans. Even so, he hinted that if the Argentine maintains his current level of performance and continues to work well alongside Pierre Gasly, there should be no obstacles to extending his contract.
“If Franco continues the way he’s driving now, and if his relationship with Pierre remains the way it is today—similar to the relationship Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella had—then why not?” Briatore said. “I know Franco very well, and we know Pierre very well too. We’ll make our decision before the summer break.”
Leave a Reply