Franco Colapinto has been learning from Pierre Gasly in the handful of F1 races they have raced together, while he also speaks on step up from F2.
With the general experience in F1 and additionally of Alpine, it gives Colapinto a good learning pick in Gasly. The Frenchman has been punching above his weight in the car, especially in F1 2025 when it has been difficult for the French outfit to score against its immediate rivals.
In some ways, Alpine had a similar run last year until the final few races when it turned it around. In 2025, they have had good pace in some races, but it has been difficult conversion. Colapinto has much to do after joining a bit later as a replacement of Jack Doohan, who did a decent job.
The Argentine has found it hard. His confidence is low, especially after the front wing change in Barcelona. And it is all about learning from the experience of Gasly. “Yeah, Pierre has been doing very, very well, and I think as a team, he’s been doing a great job, just in terms of maximising what the car can do, and what the team can do,” said Colapinto to media.
“I think he’s probably a bit ahead of what actually we would expect, weekend after weekend, and that’s what the team needs. So, yeah, just working hard and trying to understand, how he strikes at the performance sometimes, and out of the right, and the moments that he actually really needs to put the car up there, and he does. So, he’s been doing really well at that so far.
“It’s something that has been very helpful for the team. So, yeah, just trying to understand how to better with that performance too,” summed up Colapinto, who noted on the efforts that get multiplied in F1, coming on from F2 – where there are less personnel. Even though you have to perform at the junior level as well, but the magnitude in the pinnacle is more than double.
He doesn’t think F2 prepares for F1 in fuller terms, especially seeing the sheer number of people involved and the complexities. “I think Formula 2 is a great championship, but it still doesn’t fully prepare you for F1,” noted Colapinto. “I learned a lot of things over these last few races. Since I started in Williams, to start working with so many engineers — suddenly you’ve got 30 engineers in a room compared to two or three in Formula 2 — and that’s a pretty big shock.
“Being able to communicate, to learn and listen to what they have to say, work with so many people — it’s a massive team. You’re putting in a big effort trying to go quick to score points for 1,000-plus people that are in a factory building the quickest car for two guys, throwing it on track. So it’s a big job, and it’s a lot of effort that everyone is putting in to make the car go quick, whereas other categories are quite a lot smaller.
“Over the races, you just learn a lot of things. Experience matters a lot. That’s why [the likes of] Nico and Fernando, they have so much knowledge. And when those special moments and special opportunities come — like they capitalised in Silverstone — they are always a step up there. So, yeah, it comes with time, but it’s definitely quite different to F2 and F3,” summed up Colapinto.
Here’s Franco Colapinto on lack of confidence
Here’s Pierre Gasly confident on Alpine’s direction
Here’s Franco Colapinto on learning
