Colapinto secures Alpine contract extension to stay on Gasly's side for 2027

Franco Colapinto has signed a contract extension with Alpine for the 2027 Formula 1 season, securing his place alongside Pierre Gasly for a third consecutive year after a notably more consistent 2026 campaign.

The 23-year-old Argentinian has added 19 points to Gasly’s tally of 44 this season, with a career-best sixth-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal standing as the highlight. Colapinto currently sits 12th in the drivers’ standings after 12 rounds of the 2026 season.

Colapinto’s path to a second full-time seat was far from straightforward. He made his F1 debut in a nine-race stint with Williams in 2024, stepping in for the dropped Logan Sargeant, before Alpine brought him in as a reserve driver for 2025 behind Gasly and rookie Jack Doohan. When Doohan was released after the Miami Grand Prix, Colapinto took the seat but initially struggled to outperform the Australian as Alpine drifted toward the back of the grid.

His retention for 2026 was partly underpinned by backing from Argentinian sponsors, but it was his more polished performances aboard Alpine’s significantly improved 2026 car that ultimately made the case for keeping him beyond this season. Team executive Flavio Briatore had set a clear expectation that Colapinto would need to raise his level, and by the midpoint of the campaign the driver appears to have answered that challenge convincingly enough to earn another year.

Gasly, Alpine’s lead driver, remains the senior figure in the garage and will continue in that role through 2027. The French constructor has now locked in both sides of its driver lineup well ahead of the season, providing stability as the team looks to build on what appears to be a genuine step forward in competitiveness.