Isack Hadjar’s run to third place at the Dutch Grand Prix was nothing short of heroic as he led a tight midfield battle.
The Frenchman looks to have made himself the clear front-runner for Red Bull’s second seat heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.
Elsewhere on the grid, there are drivers fighting for their futures. That includes one of two point-less drivers this season, Franco Colapinto.
He was rather unfortunate not to score points for Alpine during a chaotic Dutch Grand Prix, and deserved to leave the circuit with something to show for his efforts.
Helmut Marko gave a ‘very telling’ Hadjar response when asked about his chances of promotion for next season.
Meanwhile, Colapinto has been told he’s ‘just not good enough’ by 1996 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve, who thinks he has been ‘overdriving’ his car.
READ MORE: Franco Colapinto explains his stance on racing for Alpine in 2026 amid Formula 1 exit rumours
Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesFranco Colapinto set a faster lap time than Isack Hadjar at the Dutch Grand Prix
Flavio Briatore may be ‘genuinely interested’ in replacing Colapinto, despite showing a lot of faith in his talents so far.
Pierre Gasly has been the team’s outstanding performer this year, but sitting bottom of the constructors’ championship means that change is required.
At the age of 22, the Argentine driver still has some time to develop, but pressure is on to start delivering results.
He showed a sign that hopefully, better things are to come at Zandvoort by setting the fourth fastest lap time of the race.
It was some three tenths quicker than Hadjar’s, who finished on the podium, and shows how high he could have finished on pure pace.
How has Franco Colapinto fared against Pierre Gasly in the head-to-head this season?
After the Dutch Grand Prix, Colapinto has officially spent nine races alongside Gasly, which is a big enough sample to judge his pace.
In qualifying, he trails 7-2, but in race trim, he trails 5-4. The main problem is that his teammate has 20 points to his 0.
It’s also getting to the stage now, where, after 17 starts, Colapinto has enough experience to be able to string a run of form together.
His rookie mistakes should start to dwindle, and Alpine should start to see a bit of a return on their investment. If they don’t show him some signs of that by the end of the year, then he’ll be in trouble.