Alpine team leader Flavio Briatore has contradicted his own squad’s announcement that Franco Colapinto had been promoted to a race seat for the next five Formula 1 rounds from this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Franco Colapinto says replacing another Formula 1 driver during the season is “never nice circumstances” and he doesn’t believe his five-race deal with Alpine is long enough.

Franco Colapinto has been given five races to sink or swim at Alpine. He says he’s not thinking about it, but a more experienced driver believes five is the minimum number of races to adapt to a new c