Franco Colapinto a target of scathing criticism from $50M worth former F1 champion

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has lashed out at Franco Colapinto for blowing his chances to secure an F1 seat for the 2025 season. He opined that Colapinto shouldn't rue his missed chance and instead be grateful that he got to audition for a few races.

Colapinto, the promising Argentinian driver, replaced Logan Sargeant mid-season in 2024 to feature in nine races for Williams Racing. He immediately made headlines with his raw pace and scored points in his second race at Baku. However, the 21-year-old faced three DNFs, which curtailed his hype.

Hence, despite getting linked to top teams, including Red Bull, Colapinto failed to secure a seat for the 2025 F1 season.

Meanwhile, former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, who has a net worth of $50 million (per celebritynetworth.com), criticized Franco Colapinto for blowing up his golden opportunity. Talking to 'Action Network,' he said (via Racingnews365):

"He (Colapinto) blew his chances. When you get that golden opportunity, you have to make the best of it yourself. He shouldn't cry about it now; he was able to get a few Formula 1 races out of it, and not everyone gets that chance. I don't know what his future holds. He is incredibly fast, that's true, but his performances didn't make it any better."

Meanwhile, Colapinto's brief brilliance in 2024 didn't go unnoticed. Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore signed him into the reserve driver role. According to the report, the Argentinian driver's contract is for five years with a significant salary.

Moreover, Alpine is reportedly planning to sack second driver Jack Doohan mid-season if he fails to match expectations and promote Colapinto instead. Doohan, meanwhile, is also a rookie and a former reserve driver. He replaced Esteban Ocon in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to mark his debut but couldn't score points.

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Franco Colapinto ready to race for Alpine in 2025

Franco Colapinto (Image Source: Getty)

Meanwhile, Franco Colapinto is already getting adjusted to his new life with Alpine. On his first day at the Enstone factory, the Argentinian driver said that he is ready to race if an opportunity arises during the 2025 season.

Talking to Motorsport.com, Colapinto said (via Planet F1):

“My role within the team will be to help, to help with everything I can, to bring the team back to the top, to improve the car as much as possible, and to help with everything I can.

"I will be very attentive to whatever happens and, obviously, always ready if I have to get in the car at some point. Doing all the testing, developing the new car, spending a lot of time in the simulator, and, obviously, being ready for anything.”

Franco Colapinto's signing has reportedly put a lot of pressure on Jack Doohan. He apparently has to prove himself in limited opportunities to keep Colapinto from securing his seat.