GROVE, England : Franco Colapinto will do a good job for Alpine regardless of any turmoil at the Renault-owned Formula One team and the deadlines they set, the Argentine’s previous boss James Vowles said on Tuesday.
Colapinto, 21, will step up from a reserve role at Alpine and replace Australian Jack Doohan, dropped after the first six races, for at least the next five rounds starting at Imola in Italy this weekend.
The Argentine raced for Vowles at Williams in the last nine races of last season, replacing dropped American Logan Sargeant, and made an immediate impression with points in his second outing and in two of his first four starts.
He was signed by Alpine in January on a multi-year loan deal.
Colapinto will be making his Alpine debut two weeks after Oliver Oakes resigned as principal with Italian Flavio Briatore, 75, taking charge.
“Is it in a turbulent time? Yes, no doubt about it,” Vowles said of Colapinto’s return to the starting grid amid upheaval at Alpine’s Enstone base.
“I actually think the learning is invaluable.
“Whether it’s in that team or elsewhere, it’s time on track and it’s time in a difficult environment. And if you come out of it you’ll only be stronger as a result, and Franco is stronger so I think it’s still the right place for him to be at this stage.”
Vowles said Alpine as a team would be highly supportive of Colapinto and teammate Pierre Gasly and expected the Argentine to repay their faith.
“I’m proud he was part of our academy and that we have a responsibility towards why he’s now on the grid today,” he said.
“What you saw with us is he got up to speed very quickly. I know he’s immensely quick. So I think, irrespective of whatever deadline they’ve set, he’ll do a good job in that period of time.”
Alpine are ninth in the 10 team championship, with Williams currently fifth.
Imola is the start of the season’s second ‘triple-header’, with races on three successive weekends and Monaco and Spain following the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
