Franco Colapinto just lit up the Alpine test track in Italy—half a second quicker than Paul Aaron—and instantly re-ignited the most chaotic reserve driver program in the paddock. Alpine’s obsession with collecting drivers has gone from strategy to satire.
Not long after Colapinto’s standout performance, Ryō Hirakawa quietly slipped away. Haas scooped him up as their new official reserve driver, adding another twist to the ever-deepening saga of Alpine training talent… for other teams.
Welcome to the Formula Reserves European Championship by Alpine™
At this point, Alpine might as well rebrand FRECA into their own talent coliseum—
Formula Reserves European Championship by Alpine.
Winner gets a seat. The rest? Loaned out like Pokémon cards. The fact that Hirakawa, who tested for McLaren and Alpine, ultimately signed with Haas shows just how leaky the pipeline really is.
And let’s be real: Alpine didn’t lose Hirakawa. They just temporarily owned him. Like everyone else in their collection.
Toyota’s Long Game with Haas?
Hirakawa’s move is also a siren call: Toyota is inching closer to a real F1 return.
They’re not on the grid yet, but they’re placing pieces: Super Formula stars, reserve drivers, and strategic ties with teams like Haas. With Toyota entering a basic agreement as the technical partner of Haas, will it be long before Haas becomes rebranded as Toyota Gazoo Racing F1 Team like Sauber’s change to Audi?
But Super Formula isn’t the perfect prep series for F1. Miyata is a great case study—dominant in SF, but mid-tier so far in F2. That transition highlights a key issue: track knowledge and the European race rhythm matter. Yuki Tsunoda thrived because he adapted early—Toyota needs to start funneling talent from Japanese F4 into Europe by age 17 if they want another Yuki, not another “almost.” Or if Yuki leaves Honda backing…
Doohan on Notice
Meanwhile, Jack Doohan’s Alpine trajectory looks less like a launch and more like a countdown. If he doesn’t impress by the end of this triple-header, he might find himself outmaneuvered by Colapinto or anyone else Alpine finds at the next junior karting event. Hirakawa looked that good in his test.
And remember: this is a team still shaking off the legal dust of the Piastri debacle. The lawyers are tired. The strategy team might be too.
Sky High Showdown: Max vs. Lando in the Jet Lag Grand Prix
Just 15 hours after winning in Suzuka, Max Verstappen touched down in Bahrain—making it yet another race he’s won. Spoofing on the Japanese Grand Prix race results, fans made jokes:
“I heard Lando was closely following Max, waiting for an opportunity to overtake.”
“His jet tried a move on the taxiway but had to back out when Max rotated early.”
“Oscar had better airspeed and a smoother pilot, but wasn’t allowed to pass.”
Next Stop: Bahrain – The First Real Test of Overtaking
It’s race week again, and Bahrain brings with it the first real track where overtaking should be on the menu. Keyword: should. If this one’s dull, we’re in for a long season where the drama has to replace action.
We’re already breaking lap records set by the 2019 aero monsters, which means the cars are fast—but also potentially harder to follow than ever. We’ve reached that part of the development cycle where the law of diminishing overtakes kicks in. And with records being taken down continuously, next up is Pedro de la Rosa’s unbroken record.
If all else fails, Drive to Survive will stretch the Max vs. Lando into three episodes, complete with dramatic lighting.
And if Max ever gets tired of this? We propose he holds up a stopwatch during every interview. Just in case the editors get “creative” again.
The good news? We’ve had two bangers out of three so far. So hope is still alive that Bahrain will deliver on-track excitement—and not just Netflix drama.