Alpine release social media statement after team orders incident
After being ordered not to pass Pierre Gasly, his Alpine teammate Franco Colapinto ignored these requests and drove ahead of him on the inside of the first uphill corner, on lap 54 of 56, at the United States Grand Prix.
Despite a seeming eternity away from the points, it didn’t look like the incident was going to be high profile, but the team’s social media activity suggests they are not happy about their Argentine driver ignoring their order.
In a statement posted on his ‘X’ account, team general manager Steve Nielsen said: “Today, like many teams, we had to adapt our strategy based on the conditions and what we saw on the track, with the hard tire not looking to be a favorable racing tire.”
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“We instructed the drivers to maintain position as we were managing fuel with both cars and the added variable of the number of laps remaining with the leaders close by.
“As a team, any instruction given by the pit wall is final and today we are disappointed that this did not happen, so it is something we will review and address internally.”
Posting this on social media is nothing dramatic. This does not mean that Colapinto is suddenly under pressure again to lose his seat. The fact that he was competitive with Gasly’s senior driver only makes his case for a 2026 seat easier, despite the car’s degrading performance.
But it’s yet another sign that Alpine is currently in trouble and cannot wait for Mercedes engines under the new regulations for next season. Performance-wise, despite 20 points scored, they are anchored at the bottom of the constructors’ championship and have not scored a point since the Belgian Grand Prix, seven races ago.
Steve Nielsen pic.twitter.com/PYMkBQtdmR
– BWT Alpine Formula 1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) October 20, 2025
Speaking to the-race.com after the race, Colapinto gave his side of the story: “We had a little more pace than Pierre in the last stint. And Bortoleto was very close behind, pushing very hard.”
“He was a lot faster than he is and that held me back with Pierre’s slowness. I think it was better for the situation to have me in front.”
Regardless of the “mini controversy” over the team order, the fact that Alpine lapped both of its cars demonstrates the lack of performance that has dominated much of its 2025 and explains why they are bottom.
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