Despite being seemingly an eternity away from the points, it didn’t look like the incident was going to be anything high profile, but the team’s social media activity suggests they are not happy that their Argentine driver has ignored their order.
In a statement on his ‘X’ account, team CEO Steve Nielsen said: “Today, like many teams, we had to adapt our strategy based on the conditions and what we saw on track, as the hard tire did not appear to be a favorable race tire.”
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“We instructed the drivers to hold position while we managed the fuel with both cars and the additional variable of the number of laps remaining with the leaders very close behind.
“As a team, any instructions given by the pit wall are final and today we are disappointed that this has not happened, so it is something we will review and address internally.”
Posting this on social media has no earth-shattering drama. This is not to suggest that Colapinto is suddenly under pressure once again to lose his seat. The fact that he was competitive against Gasly’s senior driver only helps him get a seat in 2026, despite the car’s degrading performance.
But it’s yet another sign that Alpine is currently in a pickle and can’t wait for Mercedes engines to be part of the new regulations for next season. In terms of performance, despite scoring 20 points, they are rooted to 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 One Team (@AlpineF1Team) October 20, 2025
Speaking to the-race.com after the race, Colapinto gave his side of the story: “We had a lot more pace than Pierre in the last stint. And we had Bortoleto very close, attacking very hard.”
“I was much faster than before and I was stopping with how slow Pierre was going. I think it was better for the situation to have me in front.”
Regardless of the ‘mini controversy’ over the team order, the reality of Alpine having both of their cars overtaken demonstrates the lack of performance that has dominated much of their 2025 and explains why they are last.