Alpine confirmed today that Franco Colapinto will be back in the car to begin the 2026 Formula 1 season, ending months of speculation over his future on the grid.
The team announced the move on November 7, 2025 — with 7/11/25 adding up to 43, Colapinto’s racing number — and the team also announced the news at 10:43 a.m. local time in Brazil, a nod to Colapinto’s 43 and Pierre Gasly’s 10.
However, some might be wondering: Why?
The answer lies not in Alpine’s past, but in the team’s future.
Both Alpine and the young driver have struggled this season. Colapinto was signed as a reserve driver after a turn with Williams last season, when he stepped into the seat after the team parted ways with American driver Logan Sargeant. After a strong start, where he scored points in two of his first four races, Colapinto faded down the stretch. With Williams signing Carlos Sainz Jr., he was given a chance ot move to Alpine.
Colapinto was then promoted to the seat alongside Pierre Gasly as Jack Doohan struggled to open the 2025 campaign, making his Alpine debut at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May. But following their surprising sixth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship last season, buoyed by a double podium from Gasly and Esteban Ocon at the São Paulo Grand Prix, where the grid is this week, Alpine is mired at the back of the grid with just 20 points, 40 points behind ninth-place Sauber. Colapinto has struggled as well, with his best finish, a P11, coming at the Dutch Grand Prix. He has yet to score a single point with Alpine.
Why not make a move for a replacement?
The reason? The belief at Alpine that better days are ahead, and that Colapinto will thrive when 2026 arrives.
Within the team, there is hope for the team’s future.
It starts with the engine. Alpine is winding down its internal power unit program, with the team set to become a Mercedes customer team for 2026. That could give the team a higher-performing power unit, as the Renault engines have lagged behind the competition in recent seasons. There is a belief in the paddock that Mercedes will be ahead of the game when the new regulations arrive next season, which could see Alpine benefit as well.
That is just one of the reasons that Alpine quickly turned the page from 2025, putting all their eggs in the 2026 basket when the new regulations and new power units arrive. Gasly discussed this with the media, including SB Nation, at the United States Grand Prix last month. “I have high expectations for the team; they know it,” said Gasly. “I think I’m very optimistic for the right reasons.
“The people we have. A lot of belief in all the changes we are making. It’s quite a big change for us also, switching power-unit manufacturer. All the processes we are changing, the people that we have at the factory, the new people coming in, there’s just something that seems to come together.
“We haven’t worked around these things which degraded the performance. So I think we figured out the package. We know what’s limiting. We know what we would like to change, but it’s not worth doing it this year,” added Gasly.
Speaking with The Race ahead of this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix, Alpine Executive Director Flavio Briatore put the focus on 2026 in simple terms.
“We don’t have the capacity to develop the 2025 car and a 2026 car,” said Briatore. The team brought its last major upgrade package to the Spanish Grand Prix in June, and Briatore posited that further upgrades might have seen the team only climb a spot or two in the standings.
Instead, Alpine is betting on 2026, a strong start, and getting ahead of the field when the new regulations arrive and a new season begins. It is a recipe the sport has seen before, when Honda went from ninth in the 2008 standings, to Constructors’ champions the following year under the Brawn banner.
“That was our belief when we made the decision, but it was a bit of an underestimation because everybody has done a better job than us,” added Briatore.
“In the beginning our car was P6/P5. After that, everybody improved the car a lot, and we are not where we expected. So that is why we took the risk to put all the effort into the 2026 car.”
Then there is Gasly himself. Alpine announced a multi-year extension with the veteran driver through the 2028 season, and it is not hard to see why the Enstone-based operation made that decision. Even with the struggles this season, and the underperformance from the A525, Gasly has dragged that car to 20 points on the year, sometimes barging into Q3 on a day where the A525 might still be one of the slowest cars on the grid. Gasly has managed to extract every bit of performance out of Alpine’s challenger, and the extension makes him a foundation of their future and potentially brighter days.
But the team needs to get more out of the seat alongside Gasly to make it work.
The belief at Alpine is that Colapinto’s form will improve with a better car, and perhaps match what we saw from him when he stunned the grid upon his arrival with Williams midway through the 2024 campaign. Even during the summer, when Briatore was questioning Alpine’s decision to promote him to the grid, the longtime F1 figure conceded that the A525 was a difficult challenger to handle.
In Friday’s announcement, Briatore pointed to that element of the team’s season.
“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,” said Briatore.
“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.”
However, a more consistent challenger may help Colapinto deliver the best version of himself next season.
If that transpires, Alpine’s bet on the future may just pay off.
