Argentine Franco Colapinto is to be Alpine's reserve driver this season after signing a multi-year deal to join the team from Williams.
The 21-year-old caught the eye of rival teams when he completed nine races for Williams at the end of last season after they dropped American Logan Sargeant.
Alpine have negotiated a deal to remove Colapinto from his long-term contract with Williams, where he was a development driver.
Williams had no room for him in a race seat this season as they had already signed Carlos Sainz from Ferrari to partner Alex Albon.
Alpine executive adviser Flavio Briatore said: "Clearly, Franco is among the best young talents in motorsport right now. It is fair to say his appearance on the F1 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 said: "Williams turned my dream of racing in F1 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 Alpine is truly an honour."
Williams team principal James Vowles said: "Franco clearly showed he is deserving of a place in F1 and we always said we would support him to get one.
Comments
Post a Comment