Franco Colapinto reveals setup problems behind poor F1 comeback: “Now things make more sense”. Franco Colapinto admits to setup issues and poor form after returning to F1 with Alpine.

Jack Doohan’s adventure in Formula 1 with Alpine lasted only a few races. Behind him, in fact, was a Franco Colapinto eager to get back behind the wheel of a single-seater after showing promise—at times—during his stint with Williams last year.

Many were looking forward to seeing the Argentine driver in action again, hoping to witness the best version of him seen in some races last season. Instead, after replacing Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto not only failed to improve—he may have even done worse than the Australian.

While he had impressed immediately with Williams, the South American has not replicated that form at the wheel of an Alpine A525, which is far from competitive. But performing worse than Jack Doohan is hardly a résumé entry he would have wished for.

“The May triple-header was tough. The results weren’t what I expected,” admitted Franco Colapinto on the eve of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend. “I expected to make some progress after Imola, but it’s always hard coming back to F1 after missing six races. The drivers have learned a lot—especially tire management—and when you’re not driving, it’s really difficult.”

“This experience is very different from the one with Williams. When I arrived at Williams last year, I had never driven other Formula 1 cars, so I couldn’t make any comparisons. But now I can.”

“At Alpine, I’m learning a lot. There are many positives and some differences. The car itself is very different to drive, and it’s just a matter of getting used to it and figuring out the fastest way to deal with it.”

“The week off we had was really useful. We sat down with the team to understand the issues, to figure out what we need to do better, where we’re lacking pace, and where I can improve.”

“I spent many days in the simulator, many days at the factory with the engineers. We worked on a lot of areas. Overall, there are some things that just aren’t working in terms of setup. I felt almost out of sync with everything—the car’s tools, the setup. One thing was clashing with another. Once we understood this after the race in Barcelona, things started to make a lot more sense.”

“That’s why I’m arriving in Canada with greater confidence. We need to take a step forward, and we really hope to be able to do that here.”