Franco Colapinto defends team order snub as Alpine fumes

Franco Colapinto says he has no regrets about disobeying team orders during the United States Grand Prix, insisting he “did the right thing” despite anger from Alpine management.

With both Alpines running out of the points and the team again languishing at the back of the field, Colapinto ignored a late instruction to hold position behind teammate Pierre Gasly as they battled for a distant 17th place.

“I think it was the right thing to do,” the Argentine rookie told reporters. “I’d already given up the position several times before. I was much quicker, Pierre had older tyres and was about a second slower.

“Given the situation, it was the best move. Bortoleto was attacking me hard, and passing Pierre was also a way to defend myself. If I hadn’t gone for it, he probably would’ve passed us both. We were fighting for 17th and 18th, there’s no point arguing about that.”

The last-lap overtake nearly forced Gasly off track and immediately drew fury from the pitwall. New team boss Steve Nielsen, who only recently took charge of the struggling Enstone squad, called the move “disappointing” and confirmed the incident would be dealt with internally.

“We asked both drivers to hold position because we were managing fuel and the number of laps remaining with the leaders nearby,” Nielsen explained. “As a team, any pitwall instruction is final, and today that didn’t happen. We’ll review it and address it internally.”

Gasly, typically calm despite Alpine’s worsening season, refused to fan the flames. “We have many things to review as a team,” he told Canal Plus. “The main problem is that we’re just too slow.”

The flare-up came amid reports that Colapinto is close to finalising a new deal with Alpine for 2026, perhaps explaining his growing confidence in challenging orders from above.