Flavio Briatore expresses doubt about the future of Franco Colapinto in his team. The Alpine advisor sees the young Argentine struggling and wonders if the step to Formula 1 was not taken too soon.
Briatore: 'Maybe it wasn't the right time for Colapinto'
When asked what Colapinto needs to show to keep his F1 seat next to Pierre Gasly, a telling answer follows.
"I think I see everything already. I don’t need to see anything anymore," says Briatore.
He points to the current generation of cars, which in his opinion are difficult to handle for rookies.
"It’s difficult. For this driver, it’s very difficult to cope with this car. These cars are very, very heavy, very quick.
"And for a young driver to [be] put in Formula 1, maybe it was not the timing to have Franco in Formula 1. Maybe he needs another year or two."
According to Briatore, Colapinto works hard together with the engineers.
"He tries very hard. He tries very hard with the engineers to please them in everything, but it’s not what I expect from Colapinto," says the Italian.
Briatore: 'Pressure may be too much for Colapinto'
The Alpine advisor also sees pressure as an important factor. "And maybe Colapinto [is under] too much pressure to be in Formula 1" he admits.
"Last year, he had two or three races with James, where he did very well.
"But maybe to be in the team with a good driver like Pierre, and always in competition with the team-mate, maybe we put too much pressure on him."
He's also referring to his own role. "Sometimes we believe-- the driver is a human being.
"We need to understand what’s going on in the heads of these kids. These are young kids – 19, 20, 22, 23 years old. I think we need to consider that.
"And I think it’s out mistake to underestimate the human part of the driver.
"We’re always looking at the timing [sheets]. Maybe I missed something in the management of the driver, Colapinto," says Briatore.
How the future of the Argentine looks like is still unclear. "For the future, honestly, I don’t know."
