Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto: “I hope to see him on the starting grid soon”. Pierre Gasly hopes the work of Alpine's third driver Franco Colapinto will be rewarded .

Franco Colapinto getting closer
Jack Doohan’s lackluster start to the championship has only worsened his already delicate situation at Alpine. Although he currently holds a race seat, he is well aware that Franco Colapinto could replace him after just a few races. The Australian’s failure to score points—due in part to a mistake at the Australian GP and two penalties in China (where he had still performed well in qualifying)—has put him under pressure. Meanwhile, the young Argentine, Alpine’s third driver, appears increasingly close to a return to F1 after last year’s strong performances with Williams.

It is no coincidence that, at least until the Liam Lawson – Yuki Tsunoda swap, Franco Colapinto had also been linked to Red Bull, especially after Helmut Marko was spotted in Alpine’s hospitality. In any case, there is one driver who is eager to see the Argentine back on the grid, regardless of the team: Pierre Gasly.

Pierre Gasly’s wish
The Frenchman, Jack Doohan’s teammate, hopes that the 21-year-old’s hard work will be rewarded with a return as a full-time driver: “Every team has a reserve driver,” he said on the *Beyond the Grid* podcast. “I was at Red Bull and wanted a race seat. Franco is doing a great job, and I hope to see him racing soon. Last year, Jack Doohan was a reserve driver, and Esteban and I knew he wanted to race in one of the cars. That’s just the natural dynamic of a team, and Franco is there—of course, he wants to race. I hope we’ll see him on the starting grid soon because he has proven to be a very strong driver, but this is a natural process; there’s no need to overanalyze it.”

Relationship with Jack Doohan
Gasly also touched on his relationship with his current teammate, making it clear that his hopes of seeing Colapinto back on track are not due to any issues with Jack Doohan: “Jack is a great guy, very fun,” he added. “It’s easy to get along with him, and he’s a very fast driver. I know he hasn’t had the easiest path in Formula 1, and I’ve been in situations myself where I didn’t feel good, where I didn’t like certain things, and in F1, you have to enjoy your time here. He has dreamed of this for a long time, but once you get here, it’s all about performance. It’s a very demanding world, but if you are in this position, it’s because people believe in you. I hope Franco gets his chance soon and that Jack can show his potential.”