Flavio Briatore has made it clear that Franco Colapinto has yet to meet expectations since joining Alpine's Formula 1 program.
The 21-year-old Argentine rookie replaced Jack Doohan after just six races, backed heavily by sponsors from Argentina. But despite the high-profile swap, Alpine advisor Briatore hasn't been impressed.
"He crashed right away on the first race weekend," Briatore told Sky Deutschland in Barcelona. "If I was to say I was happy, that would be a lie. I'm not happy at all."
When Colapinto was announced as Doohan's replacement, Alpine stated he was guaranteed five races. Briatore quickly pushed back on that, but his latest comments leave Colapinto's future even more unclear.
"We'll have to see how the season develops for him," said the Italian. "We also have to recognise that Franco is very young and is under a lot of pressure from all directions, not just from Argentina.
"This (Barcelona) is his first real race, where we'll see what he can do. In his job, you have to be able to gain confidence as quickly as possible. I hope he can do that and get back on track."
Amid Colapinto's shaky start, new paddock rumours suggest Briatore may already be considering Alpine's WEC driver Mick Schumacher for a return to F1.
Asked directly about it, Briatore was blunt: "I don't think that's the question to ask here. Next question. I don't want to talk about that."
Former world champion Nico Rosberg believes the warning signs are clear.
"Colapinto is currently on the wrong side of Flavio, and you don't want to be there," Rosberg said. "Flavio completely ignores his number 2 drivers. He doesn't care about them at all.
"He treats his number 1 drivers like a puppy, so this is pretty extreme from Flavio."
Mick Schumacher's uncle, Ralf, sees a possible opening for his nephew, citing Briatore's history with Michael Schumacher.
"He wants to put together the best possible team for 2026," Ralf said. "Now he's giving the drivers the chance to prove themselves, and then he'll make the decision.
"That's obviously brutal for a driver. If you did this to Lando Norris, he'd drive backwards in circles. Not everyone can handle Flavio. He runs a tough school and it's not fun for a young man."
