Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore indicated there is no strict limit to the number of races Franco Colapinto will compete in this year.
Initially, Colapinto was announced as replacing Jack Doohan for the next five F1 rounds, starting from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and concluding with the Austrian Grand Prix.
A prior Alpine press release quoted Briatore saying, “the next five races will give us an opportunity to try something different and after this time period we will assess our options”.
However, speaking in Imola to Sky Italy, Briatore seemed to adjust his position.
Briatore commented, “It`s not that a driver gets three or five races. I expected more from Jack Doohan – maybe he needs a break.”
He added, “Franco will race as much as needed. I read somewhere that he`ll have five races, but no, there`s no set limit on his races.
Briatore outlined his expectations for Colapinto: “He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points. I`m only asking him these three things – not 10. If he does them well, he will drive forever.”
Briatore Addresses Oakes` Resignation
The news of Doohan and Colapinto`s swap came just one day after Oliver Oakes announced his resignation as team principal for “personal reasons”.
Oakes, who is currently in Imola, stepped down shortly after his brother, William Oakes, was charged with `transferring criminal property` after being stopped at Silverstone Park on May 1 with a significant amount of cash.
William Oakes, 31, from Rugby, Warwickshire, was held in custody after appearing before Northampton Magistrates` Court on May 3.
He is a director at Hitech Grand Prix, a British junior racing team established by his brother Oliver in 2015.
Although Alpine stated Briatore would be “covering the duties previously performed by Oakes”, the FIA does not recognize Briatore as the official team principal.
Briatore commented on the situation, stating, “Nothing changes – the organisational chart has shifted a bit, but everything else stays the same.”
He added regarding the principal role, “When it comes to the team principal role, I need to assess the situation. For now, I`m taking charge, but I`m used to that, it`s not my first day at school.”
Discussing Oakes` departure, Briatore said, “His resignation came after Miami due to a personal issue, and when it happened, I did not expect it either.”
He emphasized team unity: “This is a united team. There were rumours that I had argued with Oliver, but that`s not true – we have a great relationship.”
