Franco Colapinto's manager has revealed the date of his contract with Alpine F1, and the least we can say is that it is intended to be particularly long. Maria Catarineu, commercial director of Bullet Sports Management, explained how the discussions with Flavio Briatore came about.
“It took a long time because the negotiations are sometimes complex, like in this case. But Flavio has always been very persistent and, in the last few weeks, he has been very intense” declared Catherine.
“The deal was done because both sides got what they wanted, Flavio was able to sign Franco and James [Vowles]the boss of Williams, was able to give him the opportunity to race, because at Williams, the starting drivers have long-term contracts.
The Italian had been on the Colapinto case since September: “Briatore has seen Franco since his debut in F1. The day we first spoke he said 'I saw his talent and I want it'. He closely followed all the races and his development in as an F1 driver during the nine Grands Prix he was able to compete in.”
Briatore even wanted to recover the management of the Argentine driver, in vain: “It's the best thing for everyone that Jamie [Campbell-Walter] and I are still in charge of Franco and more and more on a daily basis. It is obvious that Flavio will be aware of everything that is happening. It’s a team effort.”
And Catarineu revealed that Colapinto has a five-year contract with Alpine: “Williams gave Franco to Alpine for five years. I understand that if another team seems interested in Franco during that period, I assume it will be a negotiation between Alpine and the other team.”
A decision which may seem surprising, given that the French team has had chaotic management for several months. Additionally, its long-term prospects are unclear, with Hitech possibly ending up buying the team. She explains that fans criticized the fact that Colapinto did not have a starting seat for 2025.
“Out of 10 messages, only one attacked us and I know very well what we have done over the years to help Franco. I took the trouble to read all the messages, one by one. Unfortunately, I did the “I made a mistake opening social media and I was exposed to this stuff.”
-“But it's part of this story. Regardless, I know how much Argentines love us and it's not a few people who are going to change that. Today, Franco feels intense happiness, like all of us.”
Colapinto will inevitably be a threat, direct or indirect, to Jack Doohan at Alpine. His manager was asked about his pilot's chances of returning as a starter during the season, but she threw in the towel: “I’m not going to say what I feel.”
“I don't know if he will make his debut in Australia, Miami or elsewhere. What I do know is that Franco has shown he can race and that's why Alpine signed him .”
“Today there are two drivers (Gasly and Doohan) who have a contract. It will be a team decision.”
“What is certain is that Franco cannot do Free 1 this year because he is no longer a rookie. He will do tests with cars from two seasons ago. And he will have to be present on the races.”
When asked if Alpine was really a bigger step for Colapinto, she replied: “I'm not going to make a value judgment on whether or not it's a better team than Williams, but over the last few races we've seen an Alpine team that's growing and can do a lot more than that. Next year they will have Mercedes engines and there is a lot of potential.”
