'Cost him the race': F1 driver facing the axe after incident with Oscar Piastri
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto is reportedly in danger of losing his spot on the F1 team, and a crazy incident involving Oscar Piastri in the Austrian Grand Prix won't do him any favours. Piastri finished second behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who cut the Aussie's lead in the championship to just 15 points.
But it was nearly so much worse for Piastri, who came perilously close to not finishing the race when he was inadvertently forced off track by Colapinto on lap 55. Norris and Piastri were moving past the lapped Alpine driver, who moved out of the way for Norris but didn't appear to realise Piastri was also right there.
Colapinto moved straight back into Piastri's path and forced the Aussie driver onto the grass, who managed to keep his composure and get back on track. Piastri narrowly avoided disaster, but the incident cost him precious ground on Norris and ruined his chances of overtaking his teammate late in the race.
Piastri was then blocked by Colapinto's Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly on lap 57, and the Aussie driver was left fuming. He reportedly said on team radio: 'Alpine still manages to find a way to f*** me over all these years later."
Piastri was referencing his controversial switch from Alpine to McLaren in 2022, when Alpine tried to block the move. F1 fans were left filthy with Colapinto's mistake, with many joking he's trying to take out as many Aussies as possible.
The Argentine replaced Aussie driver Jack Doohan earlier this season, who was sacked after six races. But new reports have claimed Colapinto is also in the gun after failing to impress. 'Racing News 365' is reporting that Alpine are considering dumping Colapinto as well, with pressure intensifying after the incident with Piastri that could have caused massive embarrassment for the team had it affected the championship race even more.
Alpine's plan was to give Colapinto five races to show what he's capable of, and those five races are now completed. The Argentine hasn't scored a single point, but neither did Doohan in his six races.
Apline had seemingly backflipped on that plan and guaranteed Colapinto's immediate future, but their stance has reportedly now changed. According to 'Racing News 365': "Alpine has informed Colapinto and his management team that the Argentinian needed to start performing."
Colapinto, who was hit with a five-second penalty during the race and one penalty point on his record afterwards, said: "I'm not really concerned. I think (team principal) Flavio Briatore has been very supportive and he has trust on the decision he's made. I, and the team as well, are focusing on improving the car. We looked a bit weak today, and we just need to take some steps forward.
"The car has been a bit tricky for me to drive at the moment. It's not very consistent. It's quick, but it just didn't give me the confidence I needed to push in the high speed here. It was a tough weekend. Overall, we did some steps forward, but it felt like something didn't click."
Colapinto cost Piastri the race. Without that lost second from being driven off the track, Piastri would be in DRS by lap 64 or 65 and at that point, anything could have happened.
— AJ Ansari (@AJAnsariX) June 29, 2025
Colapinto trying to take out every Aussie in F1
— Ignition Australia (@Ignition_AU) June 29, 2025
Almost caused him to crash and take a deep hit in the WC
— juvid (@JuvidX) June 29, 2025
It wasn't the only hairy moment for Piastri on Sunday, who locked up his wheels during a dual with Norris on lap 20. "It was a good battle. A bit on the edge at times and probably pushed the limits a bit far," he admitted afterwards.
"But that's what we're here to do: try and race each other and try and fight for wins. And that's what we did today. It was close for me, but not quite enough."
RELATED:
Oscar Piastri cops official sanction over illegal act following crash
F1 fans in frenzy over return of Daniel Ricciardo with Oscar Piastri
It was almost a repeat of the drama that unfolded in Montreal two weeks ago, when Norris ran up the back of Piastri and failed to finish. Team principal Andrea Stella praised Piastri's immediate accountability after the incident on Sunday, saying: "As soon as he crossed the finish line, he opened the radio and he said, 'Sorry for the situation in corner four. My bad. I know what I have to do'. We have come out stronger and even more united."
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