For several weeks, LWOS was amongst various outlets to report on Alpine’s interest in Franco Colapinto. Despite Jack Doohan’s Alpine debut and 2025 contract, Flavio Briatore’s comments suggest Colapinto is still on the team’s radar.
Colapinto still a potential 2026 Alpine target
The last few weeks have seen Franco Colapinto’s chance of securing a place on the grid decline sharply.
A series of crashes undid a lot of the excitement surrounding the Argentine after his points-finishes in Baku and COTA.
Red Bull were the biggest outfit linked with Colapinto, before opting against pursuing the 21-year-old.
However, Red Bull were not the only team in talks with the Williams driver.
Alpine were also interested in Franco Colapinto, with executive advisor Flavio Briatore seen in discussions with the 21-year-old at the Qatar GP.
Even with Doohan’s contract with Alpine for 2025, a last-minute change in plans was not out of the question for Team Enstone.
Alpine’s abrupt Esteban Ocon swap before Abu Dhabi was a reminder they are no strangers to making ruthless decisions.
In many ways, Flavio Briatore was brought to the team for precisely this reason.
Speaking in various interviews, Briatore has made no secret of his interest in Colapinto
When asked by Auto Hebdo if Doohan’s place at Alpine ahead of 2025, he responded:
“My job is to put Alpine back to the top. There is no room for feelings in Formula 1.”
Doohan’s position is precarious
These quotes aren’t necessarily comforting for Doohan, who will be under pressure immediately when he debuts next season.
Still, Doohan can be relatively secure about his position at Team Enstone for 2025.
The bigger concern for the Australian is establishing himself quickly enough at Alpine to earn a contract extension for 2026.
Speaking to AMuS about Franco Colapinto’s availability, Flavio Briatore simply responded that he is interested in any fast driver.
Considering the volume of driver announcements in 2024, the consensus is that next year’s driver market will be more stable.
However, Alpine are one of many teams who could provide surprises next season.
Even Pierre Gasly, whose position at Enstone is more secure, has an expiring contract. Should he decide that Alpine’s performance is unsatisfactory, he might be temped by options elsewhere on the grid.
Despite the team’s strong end to 2024, there are still many reasons to be sceptical of their long-term prospects.
When adding this to all of the factors at play in Alpine, the next twelve months could be turbulent.
Having experienced significant turnover in their engineering staff and driver roster, more changes could be on the cards at Briatore’s squad.
