Alpine have ended another piece of the Formula 1 driver-market speculation by confirming that Franco Colapinto will remain with the team for the 2027 season alongside Pierre Gasly.
The Enstone-based outfit announced the extension on Thursday, confirming that its current driver pairing will remain unchanged as Alpine continues its long-term push toward the front of the grid.
COLAPINTO EARNS ALPINE’S LONG-TERM TRUST
Colapinto’s journey with Alpine has developed considerably since he initially joined the team as a reserve driver for the 2025 campaign.
The Argentine was promoted to a race seat from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix that season, replacing Jack Doohan, and Alpine subsequently decided to retain him for 2026.
His performances this year have now convinced the team that he deserves a longer-term opportunity.
Colapinto has accumulated 19 points across six Grands Prix, while his partnership with Gasly has helped Alpine occupy sixth position in the Constructors’ Championship.
ALPINE SEE GASLY AND COLAPINTO AS THE RIGHT COMBINATION
Alpine believes the relationship between its two drivers has become one of the strengths of the project.
Gasly already has a contract extending through at least the end of 2028, meaning the Frenchman was always expected to remain at the heart of Alpine’s plans.
Colapinto’s extension now provides the team with something particularly valuable in Formula 1: stability.
Executive advisor Flavio Briatore explained that consistency was an important factor behind the decision.
“We are now settled from a driver point of view,” Briatore said, while emphasizing that producing a genuinely competitive car remains Alpine’s biggest priority.
BRIATORE: COLAPINTO “BELONGS IN FORMULA 1”
Briatore was particularly complimentary about Colapinto’s development.
He pointed toward the driver’s performances in Miami and Montreal as evidence of his potential, arguing that the Argentine has demonstrated that he belongs at the highest level of motorsport.
That endorsement is significant.
Rather than treating Colapinto as a short-term replacement, Alpine is now effectively investing in him as part of its long-term competitive structure.
The challenge for the 23-year-old will be converting flashes of speed into consistent results as expectations increase.
COLAPINTO: “I FEEL VERY HAPPY AND VERY SETTLED HERE”
Colapinto welcomed the announcement and made it clear that he is comfortable with the direction Alpine is taking.
“I am very pleased to remain with this team in 2027,” he said.
The Argentine also highlighted the progress Alpine has made during the 2026 season and praised the team’s efforts to improve its machinery.
His ambitions, however, extend far beyond simply remaining in Formula 1.
“Our long-term goals are obvious – to compete and win,” Colapinto said.
That statement perfectly reflects the scale of the challenge facing Alpine.
THE NEXT TEST COMES AT MONZA
The timing of the announcement is particularly interesting because Colapinto is set to receive Alpine’s upgraded package at next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
Gasly debuted the upgrade ahead of schedule at Zandvoort, meaning Monza will provide Alpine with another opportunity to evaluate the development package across two cars.
For Colapinto, it also represents an opportunity to demonstrate why the team has placed its long-term faith in him.
ALPINE’S 2027 PLAN IS NOW CLEAR
With Gasly already secured and Colapinto now confirmed, Alpine can turn its attention toward the area that Briatore believes matters most: building a faster car.
The driver-market uncertainty surrounding the team has effectively disappeared.
The responsibility now shifts entirely toward Alpine’s engineers and technical department.
If the team can produce a competitive package, Gasly’s experience and Colapinto’s growing confidence could form a formidable pairing.
For Colapinto, meanwhile, the message is unmistakable: Alpine no longer sees him as a temporary solution. They see him as part of their future.
