Franco Colapinto and his chance for 2026 with Alpine

The Argentine driver was asked at a press conference about his continuity and, although he avoided giving any details, he warned that next year’s car will be fast.

Alpine confirmed to AM850.com that the determination of who will be Pierre Gasly’s partner in 2026 will be in November, with no specific date.. The 11th month of the year has 30 days, but there is one weekend that could be the key: the San Pablo GP, which will be held on the 9th. Possibly this is the moment of the announcement and the paths point to the continuity of Franco Colapinto. The Argentine driver was asked at a press conference about what he should do in the six remaining races to secure his seat.

“I just have to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m working very well with the team, so I’m very happy with that. Especially looking at the last five races, I think we’ve really struggled with the pace, but to see that we don’t give up and that everyone on the team stays motivated is very good.. The engineers, the mechanics, everyone keeps pushing as if we were scoring points. We’re not doing it now, but it’s good to see the motivation everyone has to keep pushing, to keep finding more performance in the car. I think it’s something we’re all doing, and when the car is competitive next year, it will be very important to have that mentality. I am confident that next year’s car will be fast,” said the Buenos Aires driver.

In his statement he spoke directly about the car that Alpine will have in the next season, which will come with changes in the technical regulations and cars and engines will be released. His message pointing to 2026 may be an indication of what determination will be made by Flavio Briatore, the boss of the Enstone team, who warned that the contenders for the seat are Colapinto and Paul Aron.

From a sporting point of view, the Argentine had a significant improvement from the Hungarian GP onwards, precisely the five races he referred to in the press conference. Within the context of extreme weakness of the A525, the worst car on the grid, Franco managed to have a sustained, constant and competitive pace with his teammate Pierre Gasly. In fact, in that Grand Prix quintet he beat him on more than one occasion. Alpine’s shortcomings are enormous, but to be expected given Briatore’s decision to throw the 2025 season into the recycling bin and dedicate all the year’s efforts to the development of 2026. Alpine only carried one update in the year: the front wing in Emilia-Romagna.

The Argentinian’s performances in the last five races may have tipped the scales in his favor by the time Briatore lowers the hammer. To this we must add the financial support that comes from Colapinto, undoubtedly essential to generate a convincing conviction. The presentation of the decoration that the A525 will carry in Austin, Mexico and San Pablo are a strong demonstration. It is true that the company that sponsors it repeats the strategy used in 2024 with Williams, but this time it was with more noise. In a few days the white smoke will come out of Alpine.