Why Franco Colapinto kept his Alpine F1 seat for 2026

Alpine have explained the factors behind their decision to retain Franco Colapinto for the 2026 F1 season.

The French squad ended a long-running saga about their driver options by confirming that Colapinto would stay on alongside Pierre Gasly next season ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Colapinto replaced the struggling Jack Doohan after just six rounds but has failed to score a point since earning a full-time drive, however his form has been much improved of late.

“I mean it's very difficult for any of the new drivers coming in, we've seen some come in and hit the ground running straight away and we've seen others come in and struggle a little bit,” Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen told Sky Sports F1.

"Franco obviously did some races with Williams last year, substituted for Jack from Imola and struggled a bit to start with to be honest, and then gradually, gradually... We're lucky to have Pierre as a kind of a marker, an established driver and gradually Franco was able to up his game and take the fight to Pierre and in a car that's not as competitive as we would like to.

“But nonetheless, when you compare them to each other, he started doing a reasonable job and became comparable to Pierre, even quicker than Pierre on a few occasions and so ultimately that's what got him the seat.”

When former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle suggested there may have been financial implications behind the decision, Nielsen replied: "You can't ignore the financials, of course, it plays a part in it, but ultimately we've got Franco on talent, and the fact that he brings the financial side is a happy accident."

What’s changed for Colapinto?

Alpine advisor Flavio Braitore had openly criticised Colapinto, but outlined what had changed for the Argentine that saw him earn a new deal for 2026.

"What's difficult for all these young kids is that they are arriving in this environment of Formula 1 with a lot of pressure from sponsors, the team, etc," Briatore told F1.com.

"Unfortunately, we have a not so performant car. It's difficult to drive. I believe in the beginning Franco was a little bit lost and he needed three or four races to be much better.

"If you see Franco in the beginning when he started racing with us and you see him now, he's a different person. He's much more secure, has much more commitment with engineering and he's done everything to be performing. He spends a lot of time to understand better the car.

"In the last two or three races, the performance of the team is still no good at all, but the performance of Franco was very good.”

Briatore added: "The relationship with Pierre is very good. We now have two drivers; we're working with two drivers. Franco feels like he's part of the team. He's one of the two drivers of Alpine.

"Before, we had one driver and everything was on the shoulders of Pierre. Now we have split the weight. It's on the shoulders of Pierre and Franco. Franco is managing well.

"I have spent a lot of time with Franco and I have seen a change in him, the maturity in the last few months has changed completely. He's talking with me like a different guy, with more responsibility.

"He understands what he is doing with the team, with the engineering. He has really surprised me. In the beginning, I had a lot of people in the team who were not convinced about Franco's performance.

"I kept going with Franco and now everyone believes Franco is fantastic for us and is the right team mate for Pierre.

"If you look at the last races, touch wood, there have been no accidents and he's been driving very well. He's been very close – two tenths up, two tenths down to Pierre – and I consider Pierre one of the best drivers in Formula 1, I think he's one of the top six drivers in Formula 1.

"My job is to deliver the right car for Pierre and Franco next year."