Franco Colapinto's millionaire boss Flavio Briatore shares social media post with the driver on the Argentine's first day at Alpine

Alpine F1 Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore shared a picture with reserve driver Franco Colapinto on his social media. The Argentine driver has been in high demand ever since he made his debut on the F1 grid at last year's Italian GP and performed admirably alongside then-Williams F1 teammate Alex Albon.

The 21-year-old got an expected drive with the Grove-based outfit after they decided to drop Logan Sargeant at the end of the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix due to the American's tendency of crashing the car.

Colapinto, who was part of the Williams junior program, got promoted to a full-time seat for nine races and scored his first points in Baku, before repeating the feat in Austin. His performances caught the interest of several teams such as Red Bull, RB and Alpine, who were interested in getting his signature.

However, it was the French team that won the race and announced him as their reserve driver for the 2025 season. Briatore posted a couple of pictures with Franco Colapinto on his Instagram handle, writing:

"Welcome Franco to the@alpinef1team."

There have been several reports that Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan during the 2025 season if the Aussie fails to perform at the level of Pierre Gasly in the same car.

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Alpine F1 team boss gives his take on Franco Colapinto reportedly replacing Jack Doohan

Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes dismissed the claims that Franco Colapinto would replace Jack Doohan after just a few races in the 2025 season.

Speaking on the James Allen on F1 podcast, Oakes said that Doohan would have a fair chance to prove his mettle in the sport before they make any decision regarding their lineup. Here's what he said:

"It's been a little bit harsh on Jack, some of the stuff that was written by the keyboard warriors there, and he's getting his fair crack at it next year. And I think the intention there isn't to put [pressure] on his shoulders. It's genuinely to give the team options further down the line."

"And for me, F1 is fine margins. There's a load of people who are depending on a driver to deliver each weekend, and we need to make sure we've got the best drivers in the race car, not just now, but also in the future."

He further added about the appointment of the young Argentine and said:

"I think Franco made a great first impression with Williams. I think it was clear to see that he probably tried a bit too hard at the end there. For us as a team it's great to have that roster of two young drivers in Paul and Franco there waiting in the wings, because it's not just about 2025; 2026, 2027 is around the corner."

Franco Colapinto will join Paul Aron and Rio Hirakawa as the test and reserve drivers for the 2025 season.