Franco Colapinto only wants to be associated with brands “that are close to the people” and “present in everyday life”.

His current F1 team, Alpine, a brand under the Groupe Renault banner, fits that mission statement, as Colapinto pointed to Ferrari as a manufacturer which goes against the image he wants to portray: a car affordable to a small percentage of people, which suggests the Argentine racer will not be scrambling for an Italian supercar drive anytime soon.

Franco Colapinto and Ferrari: An impossible mismatch?

Colapinto returned to the grid in F1 2025 with Alpine, which agreed a deal with Williams to sign him as reserve driver, ahead of a promotion to the Alpine driver line-up at the expense of Jack Doohan.

That came with talk of a five-race audition for Colapinto to prove himself, which would make this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix the final event in this period as Colapinto bids to secure a long-term future in Formula 1.

Said future does not include Ferrari, it would seem, as Colapinto has a clear blueprint regarding the image he wants to create through his alliances, and Ferrari does not fit.

In a Mercado Ads interview, Colapinto said: “There are a couple of brands that are incredible for drivers, for athletes, for people.

“I don’t know if I relate that much to that, since what I always look for, what I want to relate to, is brands that are close to the people, brands that are, of course, present in everyday life, in daily life, for example.

“I don’t know, a Renault, a lot of people have a Renault in Argentina. It’s a brand that’s not like Ferrari, who’s going to have a Ferrari in Argentina?

“You know what I mean? One of the brands that are impossible to buy. I want to be related to someone who is part of the people too and not just for an exclusive brand only they can buy, I don’t know, Brad Pitt and more.”

F1 2025 head-to-head standings

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Colapinto endured a challenging start to life in the Alpine race seat, a heavy Imola qualifying crash not helping his cause, though there were signs of clear improvement last time out in Canada, where he comfortably outqualified Pierre Gasly and finished the race two places up the road from his team-mate.

Asked after the Canadian Grand Prix if he is starting to better understand the Alpine A525, Colapinto confirmed: “I think yes.

“This one is a very tough track. It’s not an easy one.

“And I think generally, I felt more comfortable with the car. We’ve done some positive changes, and I’ve been feeling better over the weekend.

“We need to keep working, but I think it’s a good start to the progression.”

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