Alpine retains Franco Colapinto for 2027 Formula 1 season alongside Gasly

Contract extension for 2027

Alpine confirmed on Thursday that Argentine driver Franco Colapinto will remain with the Formula 1 team for the 2027 season. The 23-year-old will partner Frenchman Pierre Gasly, who signed a contract extension through 2028 in September 2025. Alpine executive director Flavio Briatore emphasized the value of driver consistency while the engineering department focuses on building car pace. Colapinto stated that he feels settled within the team as technical improvements continue across the campaign.

For me, having consistency is very important. We are now settled from a driver point of view and I have said many times that, while this is an important piece of the puzzle, the most significant we have to get right is designing and building a fast race car which absolutely remains our number one priority.

On-track performance and technical transition

Colapinto has accumulated 19 points in his first full Formula 1 campaign, putting him 12th in the drivers championship after finishing in the points six times across 12 races. His season results include a seventh-place finish in Miami and a career-best sixth place at the Canadian Grand Prix in May. Gasly sits 10th in the standings with 44 points, including a podium finish in Monaco that faces a challenge from McLaren over two rescinded pit-lane speeding penalties. The McLaren appeal hearing took place on Tuesday, with a verdict expected within a couple of weeks. Alpine holds sixth place in the constructors standings after finishing last in 2025. That recovery follows a decision taken last year to halt development on their 2025 chassis, alongside parent company Renault ending its engine program to switch to customer Mercedes power units for 2026.

Path through Williams and Alpine

Colapinto entered Formula 1 during the 2024 season, replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams for the final nine rounds and becoming the first Argentine driver in the series since 2001. Alpine signed him as a reserve driver for 2025 with financial backing from Latin American sponsors, later promoting him to a race seat after Jack Doohan was demoted after six races. Although Colapinto scored zero points during the remainder of 2025, team leadership retained him for 2026. At the Dutch Grand Prix last week, two penalties issued to Colapinto prompted online criticism, leading the FIA to release a warning against the harassment of race stewards.

I feel very happy and very settled here and it's been even better that we have made significant progress this year compared to last. We have a lot more milestones to reach and I know the team is working so hard in finding performance and making the car better and better.

Grid outlook and upcoming races

The contract confirmation completes Alpine's driver lineup alongside confirmed 2027 pairings at Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams, while Red Bull has retained Max Verstappen. Briatore noted that Colapinto's performances in Miami and Montreal confirmed the driver belongs in Formula 1 and at Alpine. Colapinto pointed to long-term goals of competing and winning as the team prepares for the upcoming European rounds. The Formula 1 championship resumes on 6 September 2026 with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Alpine will defend its midfield position.