Colapinto secures Alpine seat for 2027 as F1's silly season turns serious

Franco Colapinto has signed a contract extension with Alpine, securing his place on the Formula 1 grid through the 2027 season alongside Pierre Gasly. The announcement confirms the Argentine’s long-term future at the Enstone-based outfit after he stepped up from a reserve role to replace Jack Doohan during the 2025 campaign.

After 12 rounds of the 2026 season, Colapinto sits 12th in the drivers’ championship with 19 points. Gasly, his more experienced teammate, is 10th with 44 points — a gap that fans have acknowledged while still praising Colapinto’s progress.

The deal is the latest in a string of extensions that have rapidly closed off the driver market. Max Verstappen recently committed to Red Bull until the end of 2030, while Williams locked in both Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz. What had promised to be a busy silly season has, in the space of a few weeks, become anything but.

Fans on Reddit captured the mood succinctly. “Silly season now serious season. Happy for him though!” wrote one user, while another quipped: “This season is so sensible that it’s silly.”

The reaction to Colapinto’s extension was broadly warm. “Colapinto has improved significantly in his time with Alpine and is more often than not following closely behind Pierre, which is no easy feat. Vamos Franco!!” one supporter wrote. Another noted the commercial dimension: “Sensible decision. I think he’s doing a good job. Plus, he’s bringing in some good sponsor money, and he’s highly appreciated in his home country, so why fire him?”

Even fans of Jack Doohan, the Australian he displaced, found room for appreciation. “Even though he took over the seat from a fellow Australian I’ve come to quite like his personality, and he’s quite fast too at points,” one posted.

With most seats now locked up, attention turns to the few remaining vacancies. “At this rate the only change on the grid could be Ocon,” one fan observed — a reference to Esteban Ocon, whose future remains among the few unresolved storylines heading into the second half of the season.