Tag Archives: Pierre Gasly

Franco Colapinto Joins Alpine as Reserve Driver for Upcoming Formula 1 Season

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Franco Colapinto is officially on F1 reserve…

The 21-year-old Argentine racing driver has joined Alpine as a reserve driver for the upcoming Formula 1 season, the team has revealed.

Franco Colapinto Colapinto will be on stand-by behind Alpine race drivers Pierre Gasly and Australian rookie Jack Doohan should either be unable to contest a race, while also being available for testing duties.

Colapinto’s arrival wilt increase the pressure and scrutiny on Doohan, a product of Alpine’s driver academy and son of motorbike racing legend Mick, who was given an early F1 debut at last year’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

Alpine has been keen to stress this week that Colapinto’s arrival has no bearing on its driver line-up, but reports in Argentina suggest otherwise.

“I am super excited to have the opportunity to join BWT Alpine Formula One Team,” Colapinto, who has signed a multi-year deal with the team, said. “First of all, I want to say thank you to Williams for all their support from the moment I joined the Academy until the last race in Abu Dhabi. They turned my dream of racing in Formula 1 into reality, and I will always be grateful for that.

“Now, it is time for a new chapter, and to take on this challenge with BWT Alpine Formula One Team is truly an honour.”

Colapinto quickly became a popular figure in his native Argentina after replacing Logan Sergeant at Williams midway through 2024.

A string of impressive performances put him on the radar of both Alpine and Red Bull.

Interest from the latter waned after Colapinto crashed in Brazil and Las Vegas, but Alpine has pursued his signature for months.

Sources have told ESPN Williams, who go into the new year with a race line-up of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, required a buyout to release Colapinto from his contract with them.

Much like Liam Lawson with Daniel Ricciardo at RB last year, the presence of Colapinto at Alpine as the season progresses will likely be a source of continuing intrigue.

Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore added: “Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now.

“It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula 1 grid last year caught many, me included, by surprise and his performances have been very impressive for a rookie driver.

“We have an eye on our future and his signing means we have a great pool of young drivers to call upon and work with in developing the team for future success.”

Alpine’s confirmation came hours after adding Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa as a reserve and test driver.

The Japanese driver, 30, will also take part in first practice at the Japanese Grand Prix for the team on April 4.

Hirakawa was a development driver for McLaren and raced in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota last year. The other Alpine F1 reserve is Paul Aron, who impressed in Formula 2 in 2024.

Carlos Sainz Teams Up with Justin Thomas to Claim First-Ever Netflix Cup Trophy

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Carlos Sainz is celebrating his Netflix and thrill moment…

The 29-year-old Spanish racing driver, who currently competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, and pro golfer Justin Thomas teamed up to win the first-ever Netflix Cup, a crossover event featuring PGA TOUR players and F1 drivers competing in an eight-hole scramble.

Carlos Sainz, Netflix CupThe first-of-a-kind event was held Tuesday at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas.

The duo hoisted the Cup together in the post-match ceremony, with Thomas then drinking from the Cup. Then Sainz had his turn, and he dropped the trophy, which broke.

Thomas and Sainz defeated the tandem of Tony Finau and Pierre Gasly in the closest-to-pin contest on the final hole after the four-team field was cut in half following eight holes of match play.

The competition qualified as silly at times, but the spectators lining the course to watch seemed to find it entertaining.

A number of celebrities were on hand for the event, which also included controversial topics.

Protesters, apparently representing PETA, came onto the course to demand that F1, with parent company Liberty Media, cut ties with the Iditarod dogsled race in Alaska.

While golf was the designated sport, it was far from any typical round.

There were plenty of antics with the golf itself. For instance, on the first tee, four golfers teed off at the same time and then raced to their golf carts, following the designated “race course” onto the fairway to get to their balls. Golfers raced to get to the green and to see who could arrive fastest, locate their golf balls and then putt amid the mayhem on the greens.

As part of the race to get to the greens, golfer Rickie Fowler was driving the cart with F1 driver Lando Norris as the passenger.

The other team was Max Homa–Alex Albon. Finau was credited with the competition’s first birdie.

This competition was a prelude to the weekend’s Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix.

This was Netflix’s first live airing of a sports event.

Sergio Pérez to Drive Alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Next Year

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Sergio Pérez is racing forward with Red Bull… 

The 30-year-old Mexican racing driver will drive alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull next year, replacing Alex Albon, who will be demoted to the role of reserve driver.

Sergio Pérez

Pérez has signed a one-year deal with the team for the 2021 season.

Red Bull’s 2021 driver lineup has been a source of constant speculation this year, with Albon struggling to match Verstappen for pace and points throughout the season.

Pérez said Red Bull was an option for next year as early as October after his Racing Point team announced in September that it would replace him with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

However, with Pérez’s options outside Red Bull limited and Albon under contract regardless of the decision, the team waited until the end of the season before announcing its decision.

Team boss Christian Horner said: “Alex is a valued member of the team and we thought long and hard about this decision.

“Having taken our time to evaluate all the relevant data and performances, we have decided that Sergio is the right driver to partner Max for 2021 and look forward to welcoming him to Red Bull Racing. Alex remains an important part of our team as test and reserve driver with a key focus on 2022 development, and we would like to thank him for his hard work and contribution.”

Albon, who joined Toro Rosso in 2019 and was promoted to Red Bull midway through his rookie year in F1, will remain at the team in a reserve role.

Albon initially performed well at Red Bull after replacing Pierre Gasly from the 2019 Belgian Grand Prix onward, but has struggled to get to grips with this year’s Red Bull car.

He has scored less than half the points of Verstappen this year with just 105, qualified on average 0.5s off his teammate and taken just two podiums compared to Verstappen’s 11.

Perez became a first-time race winner at the Sakhir Grand Prix this month and finished fourth in the championship with 125 points.