Alpine have announced that Franco Colapinto will continue to drive for them in the 2026 F1 season. He will partner with Pierre Gasly, who signed a long-term contract extension with the French team in September.
Alpine’s confirmation of their 2026 driver line-up has hit the headlines as F1 teams gear up for the 2025 São Paulo GP. It also happens to be the closest race on the calendar to Argentina, Colapinto’s native country.
As the 22-year-old toasts to at least one more season at the pinnacle of motorsport, Alpine will celebrate this collaboration with the special livery they had unveiled in Austin. The striking yellow accents on the A525’s rear wing and engine cover are a nod to the Enstone outfit’s partnership with Argentinian e-commerce company Mercado Libre.
Colapinto at Alpine so far: Tough start but glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel
After turning the heads of many with his dynamic debut for Williams in 2024, Franco Colapinto joined Alpine as one of their test and reserve drivers for the ongoing season. With Flavio Briatore’s strong endorsement, a full-time return to F1 as early as the latter half of 2025 appeared to be on the cards.
Surprisingly, the promotion arrived after only six rounds. Dissatisfied with Jack Doohan’s performance, Alpine benched the young Aussie, and Colapinto made his official debut for the French squad at the Imola GP back in May.
However, the first half of Colapinto’s season was far from ideal. While he failed to finish inside the top ten even once, his teammate Gasly scored 12 crucial points, besides the 7 from the first six rounds of the season.
Along with a couple of crashes he had already suffered in qualifying, a massive shunt on the second day of Pirelli’s 2026 tyre test at the Hungaroring circuit was undeniably a huge setback for Colapinto. With his future in F1 seemingly hinging on a race-by-race deal, the Argentinian driver found himself under immense pressure to deliver.
Although he still sits twentieth in the standings with zero points to his name, Colapinto appears to have found his feet post-summer break. He has outqualified his experienced teammate three times and also made it to the second segment of qualifying in Austin. Moreover, the 22-year-old has finished ahead of Gasly in half of the races since the Dutch GP, where he narrowly missed out on P10.
With regard to how Colapinto’s overall performance to date measures up to Gasly’s, the Frenchman leads the qualifying battle 9-5. He also holds a head-to-head advantage of 8-6 when it comes to Grand Prix results.
Looking ahead to 2026: New rules, new slate
Even though it remains unclear whether his contract extension includes a provision for the 2027 F1 season, Franco Colapinto will undoubtedly look forward to 2026 after a rather challenging first year at Alpine.
In addition to the Renault power unit reportedly being the weakest in terms of power output for several years now, the difficult A525 has further compounded Alpine’s disappointing season. They now languish in last place in the Constructors’ Championship.
As eleven teams—with Cadillac’s arrival—gear up for the new technical regulations, the Enstone outfit will finally shut down their works engine programme and switch to Mercedes power units and gearboxes from 2026.
Given that Mercedes driver George Russell has expressed great confidence in their new power unit for the upcoming season, Alpine are hopeful about fighting for points on a consistent basis once again.
Meanwhile, with the impending change in regulations offering him a clean slate, the F1 community will certainly expect to see an invigorated Colapinto striving to cement his position in the French team and secure his long-term future in the sport.
Flavio Briatore, the Executive Advisor of BWT Alpine F1 Team, said:
“I’ve been following Franco’s progress throughout his time in Formula One and I have always believed that he has the right attributes and potential to be a top driver who can grow with the team. Our decision to continue together for 2026 is a clear indication of our commitment and strong support for Franco as he develops as a race driver.
“It has been a tough year for the whole team, and it hasn’t been the easiest scenario to perform in, however both Franco and Pierre have done their best to help put the team in the best possible position for next season. With the line-up of Pierre and Franco, we have a good blend of experience, speed and talent that will help drive the team forward and hopefully give our fans something to cheer and shout about next season.”
An excited Franco Colapinto added:
“I am very grateful to Flavio and the entire team for their belief in me to help drive the team forwards in the future. Ever since I made my Formula One debut, I knew, given the circumstances at play, it would be a huge challenge to keep my place in this sport. It has been a long and tough road, and I am very proud for the opportunity to drive with this team again in 2026, alongside Pierre, who has been a great team-mate and will undoubtedly be someone I can continue to learn from.
“Finally, it is very special and timely to make this announcement here in Brazil this weekend. Being so close to my home country of Argentina and an event that feels like a home race for me where I have so much support. To have so many fans on this journey with me and the team is why we go racing and next year, when there should be a reset in Formula One, we can hopefully give every single person who cheers for us something to truly smile and celebrate. Vamos Alpine!”
