Franco Colapinto, the Alpine Formula 1 driver, has revealed that confidence issues with his car are affecting his performance in the 2025 season. After impressing during his stint as a Williams substitute last year, the 22-year-old Argentine has struggled to replicate that success since joining Alpine ahead of the Imola Grand Prix seven rounds ago.

Despite his strong form with Williams, where he scored points twice in his initial four races, Colapinto has yet to score in 2025, while his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly has accumulated 13 points over the same period. This contrast highlights the challenges Colapinto is facing as he adapts to his new team and car.

Reasons behind the confidence gap and performance struggles

Colapinto identified a struggle with certain technical aspects of driving on the Alpine car, particularly in cornering. He stated,

“I’m lacking confidence with the car.”

He further explained,

“I’m not finding, sometimes, my feet in some corners,”

which affects his ability to turn in and carry speed effectively.

Reflecting on the difference compared to last year, Colapinto admitted,

“Now I’m struggling a bit more with that and that’s the reality. I don’t have the confidence as I had maybe last year and that’s a bit costly in F1.”

This lack of confidence means he cannot attack corners as aggressively as before, limiting his speed and overall competitiveness.

Efforts to improve performance throughout race weekends

The Argentine driver emphasized the need to enhance how he manages entire race weekends.

“Maximising the weekend as a whole”

is an area where Colapinto says he must improve to boost his results. Despite the setbacks, he remains optimistic due to the support from his team.

Colapinto shared,

“We’ve been working hard with the team to understand some of the issues and I do believe that we’ve been getting better at some things.”

However, he also acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining motivation when progress is not visible in race outcomes, stating,

“I feel there is progress that is being done behind the scenes, it’s just that when you don’t see it in results it’s very tricky to keep pushing, to keep working in the same direction because you don’t actually see the results happening.”

He also added,

“It’s something that you can’t really rely on when you don’t see it on track. But I do believe that we’ve been getting better in many areas and that we are still working very well with the team. It’s going to come, but it’s just taking longer than what I would like.”

Plans for the summer break and future outlook

Formula 1 will enter its customary summer shutdown after the Hungarian Grand Prix, with racing resuming at Zandvoort from August 29 to 31. While many drivers use this period as a chance to rest and recover, Colapinto’s season effectively began mid-year, so he plans to continue working on his performance throughout August.

“My season has been a bit shorter so far,”

he noted, explaining the need to persist despite challenges.

“So I need to keep working and when you are not really comfortable with the performance, I think you just need to keep pushing and keep going.”

He acknowledged the importance of rest but stressed the value of using downtime to keep learning:

“Of course you need time to reset, but you need to use the free time to try to keep learning and understanding what you need to get better at.”

Looking ahead, Colapinto expressed determination to improve following the break:

“So, we will of course keep pushing forward and try to come back from the summer break stronger than what we left.”

Significance for Colapinto’s F1 career and Alpine’s future

The confidence issues holding back Franco Colapinto reflect the sometimes difficult transition drivers face when moving between teams and cars in Formula 1. His struggles with Alpine underline the importance of car-driver synergy for success on track. Despite a promising start at Williams, Colapinto’s ability to adapt and regain confidence will be crucial for his breakout in the 2025 championship.

As Alpine continues to support him through technical improvements and team collaboration, his progress behind the scenes may soon translate into stronger performances. With sustained effort during the summer break, Colapinto aims to overcome his current challenges and secure a solid foothold as a competitive F1 driver. The coming races will be critical in determining whether he can fulfill the potential he displayed in his initial Formula 1 appearances.