Franco Colapinto shuts down talk of having just five F1 races to prove himself at Alpine

Franco Colapinto has been put in the spotlight after replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine. It was widely known that Doohan had been given a six-race window, and now the clock is publicly ticking for Colapinto, who has been given just five races before "reassessment".

Naturally, ahead of his first public appearance in the Alpine during the Emilia-Romagna GP weekend, this was the principal line of questioning directed at him.

"We will see once I drive," he said. "But, you know, I have a great opportunity ahead. I'm happy to be back in F1. I don't even think about the five races. I'm just in a happy place and I'm dealing with it very well. I think at the moment I just want to get back in the seat and drive."

Colapinto referenced Carlos Sainz, who said he needed about 10 races to get used to the Williams car after driving for Ferrari.

"Of course, after you heard Carlos and especially Carlos, I think, saying that he needs like 10 races to get used to the car, I think five is not enough for me. If I even drove nine in all my life in F1.

"So, yeah, it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five to get up to speed and maximise everything out of the car. But it is what I have. I just want to maximise it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team."

His response was an honest and direct appraisal of his situation. His arrival comes with expectation and pressure from Flavio Briatore.

The mantra "control what you can control" is popular with elite sportspeople, and Colapinto illustrated it perfectly here. The five-race timeframe is out of his hands; focusing on it could negatively impact results.

This level of maturity may surprise some. Colapinto showed youthful exuberance last year but was also ballpark-quick in the Williams. He also has a nine-race weekend head start on where Doohan was when he first raced the Alpine.

The indications are that Alpine’s A525 is relatively strong in cornering, held back chiefly by its Renault power unit. Of the five race venues to come, only Canada is an out-and-out power circuit.

Those who have worked with Colapinto back him to be fast enough to convince Alpine, even if five races isn’t enough to reach his absolute peak in the A525.

“I know he's immensely quick,” said Williams team boss James Vowles. “so I think irrespective of whatever deadline they've set, he'll do a good job in that period of time.”