Franco Colapinto will continue to race for Alpine in 2027 after the team chose to extend his contract. The Argentine will remain alongside Pierre Gasly, whose place on the grid was already secured by a long-term deal, having done enough this year to convince Flavio Briatore that no change was required.
Colapinto's journey to a new deal
Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan just six rounds into last season but found it tough to make an impression in a poor car that Alpine had abandoned to focus on its 2026 development. The pressure has been on this term with a much more competitive racing machine and Briatore's high expectations.
After a shaky start, things clicked for Colapinto in Miami where he outpaced Gasly all weekend and finished seventh. He followed that up with a career-best result of sixth place at the next event in Canada, though points have been more difficult to come by in recent rounds after Alpine slipped behind Racing Bulls in the midfield competitive order.
Market moves and rumours
Confirmation of the deal comes after Carlos Sainz, who had been considering his Williams future amid their poor performance this year and whose potential availability had alerted several teams, also penned a new deal to stay where he is.
There were also rumours suggesting Briatore might have asked Fernando Alonso to consider returning to the team for one last stint. However, the Spaniard rubbished those claims before the summer break and is expected to remain as part of the Aston Martin F1 setup regardless of whether or not he extends his driving career.
