Flavio Briatore has given Franco Colapinto the clearest public signal yet that his Alpine career could continue into 2027. Speaking on Formula 1’s official podcast, Beyond The Grid, Alpine’s executive advisor praised the Argentine’s progress and said the team will settle its line-up before the summer break.
It is not a contract. But coming from Briatore, who rarely hands out praise for free, it is a strong hint.
Two conditions and a “why not?”
Briatore tied Colapinto’s chances to two things: his form, and his relationship with team mate Pierre Gasly. He compared the current pairing to the driver line-ups of his Renault years.
“If Franco is performing like he’s performing now and the relationship between Franco and Pierre is like now, it’s the same we have with [Fernando] Alonso at the time, with [Giancarlo] Fisichella, with [Jarno] Trulli, super relationship. Why not?”
He added that Alpine wants consistency while it builds the team up technically, and gave a timeline: “We have plenty of races to go just to the end of August and before the summer break, we decide.”
From zero points to sixth in Canada
The praise follows a difficult first spell. Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan at the 2025 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, initially for five rounds, and then kept the seat on a race-by-race basis. He finished that season without a point.
In 2026 the picture has changed. His sixth place in Canada is the best result of his career, and he has out-qualified Gasly on several occasions. After seven rounds Alpine led the midfield with 57 points, 16 of them from Colapinto, who scored in China, Miami, Canada and Barcelona.
Briatore credits much of that to work away from the car. “This young driver [arrived] in Formula 1 with a lot of pressure and to settle mentally is not easy. We need to help him,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work with Franco and now, little by little, the confidence [has arrived].” For the bigger picture, read how Alpine rebuilt itself as a team.
Alonso hangs over the second seat
There is a complication. In mid-June PlanetF1 reported that Briatore and incoming title sponsor Gucci want Fernando Alonso back at Enstone for 2027, after a difficult start to the season for Aston Martin.
Briatore spoke about Gasly as a fixture of the team, so a return for Alonso would most likely come at Colapinto’s expense. F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has also had his say on the Spaniard’s future: Domenicali: ‘I hope Alonso will be here for a long time’.
Our read
Briatore chose his words carefully. He named the conditions, results on track and harmony with Gasly, and left the door open without promising anything. That gives Colapinto a clear target, and it gives Alpine room to move if Alonso becomes available.
The four races before the break, Austria, Britain, Belgium and Hungary, now work as an audition. The order in that stretch may also shift with the upgrades: see which teams bring the biggest packages to Spielberg.
Quotes: Beyond The Grid, via Formula1.com.
Should Alpine stick with Colapinto for 2027, or bring Alonso back to Enstone? Tell us in the comments.
