Alpine boss Briatore AXES driver for 2026

Alpine F1 boss Flavio Briatore has axed one driver from his list of potential replacements for Franco Colapinto.

Briatore is now acting in a team principal role at the Enstone outfit, after Oliver Oakes stepped down in May unexpectedly.

That came around the same time that rookie Jack Doohan was axed from his position after just six races and replaced by Colapinto, although both Oakes and Briatore reiterated that the two events were not linked.

Since that decision was made, Colapinto has not scored a single point across 10 race weekends, and Alpine are sat rock bottom of the constructors' championship due to their second driver issues.

It has led to a wide belief that Alpine will replace Colapinto for the 2026 season, with next year being so important due to the wholesale regulation changes that are sweeping into the sport.

Doohan has been linked with a return to his old seat, while Alpine were linked with both Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas before they were snapped up by Cadillac for 2026.

Another driver whose name has been banded around is Mick Schumacher, who currently races for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship. However, Briatore has now put those rumours to bed, telling Auto Motor und Sport defiantly: "He's not on our list."

Who will drive for Alpine in 2026?

Pierre Gasly - who has scored 20 points despite Alpine suffering an awful season - has recently signed a new contract with the Enstone outfit, and is prepared for a new era, when Alpine will be powered by Mercedes engines.

Who his team-mate will be, however, remains unclear. As well as Doohan Alpine have a number of other drivers in their young driver programme who could be promoted, including Paul Aron who has taken part in practice sessions for both Sauber and Alpine in 2025.

There doesn't seem to be many experienced drivers left to choose from for 2026, other than axed Sauber star Zhou Guanyu and Schumacher.

Young German Schumacher still harbours ambitions of returning to F1, where he competed in 2021 and 2022 for Haas, before being axed from the team and finding himself at Mercedes as a reserve driver.

He left that position in 2024 to focus solely on WEC racing, hoping that his performances would catch the eye of an F1 team.

It appears as though Briatore doesn't wish to bring Michael Schumacher's son back into F1, however, and has been speaking about how hard it has been for both Doohan and Colapinto in 2025.

"Looking back, we underestimated the pressure these young drivers are under," he said. "Alpine is a factory team. The pressure is even greater there.

"It multiplies in a difficult season. Rookies have an easier time in a small team. Look at [Isack] Hadjar and [Gabriel] Bortoleto."

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