Why has Alpine elected to retain Colapinto for 2027?
F1technical.net · Balazs Szabo · 2026-08-27T16:43:00+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Why has Alpine elected to retain Colapinto for 2027?
Alpine has confirmed that Franco Colapinto will remain with the team for the 2027 FIA Formula One World Championship season, completing its driver line-up alongside Pierre Gasly for a third consecutive year.
Colapinto’s new deal comes after what has been a breakthrough 2026 campaign for the 23-year-old, who has already scored 19 World Championship points across the opening 12 Grands Prix of the season. The Argentine has finished inside the points on six occasions, establishing himself as an increasingly important part of Alpine’s future plans.
After scoring a tenth-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, Colapinto produced the best result of his career at the time in Miami, taking seventh. Just two weeks later, he went one better again in Montréal, delivering a superb sixth-place finish.
That performance was particularly significant, with Colapinto demonstrating the maturity, determination and pace required to compete at the front of the midfield. His progress has also been reflected in his relationship with the team, having increasingly settled into life at Enstone.
Alpine’s decision to retain Colapinto provides the team with continuity as it looks to build on its progress in 2026. The combination of Colapinto and Gasly has helped the team rise to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, with Alpine securing double points finishes at the Grands Prix in China, Canada, Barcelona and Great Britain.
The pair have raced alongside one another since Colapinto joined Alpine during the 2025 season, making his debut for the team at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
At just 23 years old and with 38 Grand Prix starts already to his name, Colapinto is continuing to establish himself in Formula One. Alpine believes his partnership with the vastly more experienced Gasly provides a strong balance as the team prepares for the next phase of its development.
“For me, having consistency is very important,” said Alpine executive chairman Flavio Briatore. “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.”
Briatore also praised Colapinto’s development throughout the season, highlighting his performances in Miami and Montréal as evidence that the Argentine has earned his place on the grid.
“We have seen Franco truly grow and mature into a great driver this year,” Briatore added. “His results in Miami and Montréal especially confirmed what I already knew: Franco belongs in Formula One and he belongs at this team.”
Colapinto welcomed the decision, saying he feels “very happy and very settled” at Alpine and is encouraged by the progress made by the team compared with last season.
“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,” Colapinto said. “Our long-term goals are obvious – to compete and win.”
The announcement comes almost exactly a year after Gasly committed his own future to Alpine ahead of the Italian Grand Prix, and Colapinto will now head to Monza with his future secured.
The timing also means he will have an upgraded A526 package available for the Italian Grand Prix, giving him an opportunity to combine his new contract with a potentially significant step forward on track.
With both drivers now confirmed for 2027, Alpine can turn its full attention towards improving its car. While the team has made encouraging progress during the first half of the 2026 campaign, Briatore made clear that continued development of the chassis and power-unit package remains the priority.
For Colapinto, meanwhile, the new contract represents another important milestone in his Formula One career. After establishing himself alongside Gasly and producing a series of strong results in 2026, the Argentine will now have the opportunity to continue his development with Alpine and play a central role in the team’s long-term ambitions.