F1 team weighing up driver swap decision

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Chinese GP, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Silly Season

F1 team weighing up driver swap decision

In the balance...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Tuesday 14 July 2026 09:43

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Here's an unexpected addition to F1's 2026 silly season: Franco Colapinto's future at Alpine is far from secure.

The popular youngster joined the French team early last season after Jack Doohan was unceremoniously dropped, but failed to score a single point in the 18 races he was at the team for.

This year has been better for him – as it has been for the team as a whole, who struggled in 2025 – with 18 points already on the board, but that's still only good enough for 13th in the championship.

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By contrast, his team-mate Pierre Gasly has more than double that points tally (42), sitting ninth in the standings, with a 9-4 head-to-head record over his young team-mate in sprint and grand prix qualifying, usually a good indicator of outright pace.

Alpine boss: Colapinto will stay...if he's good enough

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen has admitted at the British Grand Prix that Colapinto's future with the team – his contract expires at the end of the year – is still dependent on the rest of his season.

Well," he said in a Friday press conference, "everybody wants more. I think Franco is a driver that has been a slow starter, dare I say it. He's getting better. He's produced some good runs this year already. Miami was good. China was good. He's improving.

"So I think he's there on merit and when the time comes, we'll make the decisions. If he's good enough, he'll stay, and if he's not, then there's a better option. That's just Formula 1."

One of the drivers linked with Colapinto's potentially vacated seat, astonishingly, has been Fernando Alonso, who has a long history with the team in both its Renault and Alpine guises, and whose manager Flavio Briatore is the team's de facto team principal.

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F1 Alpine Franco Colapinto Steve Nielsen