Villeneuve: Colapinto nothing more than ‘a pay driver’ at Alpine

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Franco Colapinto’s 2026 Alpine contract has landed with a thud in the paddock, and no amount of corporate gloss is disguising the smell as far as Jacques Villeneuve is concerned.

While Alpine’s top brass desperately insist the underperforming rookie earned his extension on merit, Villeneuve has cut straight through the PR fog – calling the deal exactly what it looks like: driven by money, not talent.

The team announced Colapinto’s renewal alongside Pierre Gasly ahead of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, a move that stunned many given the rookie’s erratic form since replacing Jack Doohan earlier this season.

The optics were already bad; Alpine’s PR spin has made them worse.

Briatore Tries to Justify the Gamble

While Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen has insisted that talent, not money, earned Colapinto a new deal, executive advisor Flavio Briatore also tried valiantly to defend Colapinto’s patchy performances.

“What’s difficult for all these young kids is that they are arriving in this environment of Formula 1 with a lot of pressure from sponsors, the team, etc.” he argued, quickly pointing the finger at the machinery rather than the driver.

“Unfortunately, we have a not so performant car. It’s difficult to drive. I believe in the beginning Franco was a little bit lost and he needed three or four races to be much better.

“If you see Franco in the beginning when he started racing with us and you see him now, he’s a different person. He’s much more secure, has much more commitment with engineering and he’s done everything to be performing. He spends a lot of time to understand better the car.”

But in a season where Alpine has spent more time defending excuses than scoring points, even Briatore’s trademark bluster couldn’t change the narrative forming in the paddock.

Villeneuve Calls It Straight

To Villeneuve, Alpine’s justification tour is little more than window dressing around an uncomfortable truth: Colapinto’s sponsors are doing the heavy lifting.

“I think it’s very similar to the era of pay drivers,” the 1997 world champion said bluntly, speaking to BetVictor Casino.

“One driver in the team being a pay driver to finance the team. That’s all Colapinto is.

"It’s not the results on the track that we’ve seen from the outside that could justify that extension at Alpine.

“He has shown moments of quickness, but it’s not constant.”

With Alpine’s commercial backers Mercado Libre, Globant and YPF all closely tied to the 22-year-old, Villeneuve’s view reflects what many insiders whisper privately: Alpine can dress it up however they want, but Formula 1 hasn’t left the pay-driver era behind – it’s simply learned to disguise it.

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Michael Delaney