Colapinto completes test with Alpine at Monza

On the same day as the Japanese Grand Prix, Alpine took along an older 2023 A523 to the Monza circuit in Italy, where reserve driver Franco Colapinto completed a test day with a two-year-old car.

Alpine announced ahead of the season that Franco Colapinto, who raced for Williams in the second half of last season, would join the team as one of their reserve drivers in 2025.

On the eve of the announcement, Alpine Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore noted: “We are very pleased to come to an agreement with Williams Racing to sign Franco Colapinto. Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now.

“It is fair to say his appearance on the Formula One 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.”

Colapinto has recently taken part in a test outing in Monza as part of the Testing of Previous Cars programme, getting behind the wheel of the A523.

The previous day saw fellow reserve driver Paul Aron, who completed laps on Saturday.