Alpine leaves door open for Colapinto swoop

Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore maintains the French team would consider signing Franco Colapinto if he is available for the 2026 F1 season.

The Argentine driver burst onto the scene this year as Logan Sargeant's replacement at Williams, but with Carlos Sainz already confirmed to partner Alexander Albon next term, the 21-year-old has been left looking for opportunities elsewhere in the paddock.

RB appeared to be the most likely new home for Colapinto, but Red Bull ultimately decided it will promote Isack Hadjar from within if it does indeed fire Sergio Perez over the winter.

In a similar fashion to how it suddenly became a player in the Sainz sweepstakes, Alpine emerged as a rumoured destination for him, despite Jack Doohan already having a contract for 2025.

There has been widespread speculation on two fronts there. Firstly, that Team Enstone wanted to make a play for Colapinto in place of Doohan.

Second, that the only had a five-race guarantee stipulated in his deal, something that could provide an opportunity for Colapinto mid-way through the year. The veracity of both claims is murky at best and remain paddock hearsay.

Nonetheless, Briatore has refused to shut down a potential play for Colapinto in the future, with the 74-year-old suggesting it would be something for the team to "think about". 

"I'm interested in any driver who is fast," the Italian told Auto Motor und Sport. "[Franco] Colapinto surprised everyone.

"But we have contracts with [Pierre] Gasly, [Jack] Doohan and [Paul] Aron for next season. If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it."

Over-hyped prospects with over-inflated price tags

However, Briatore also preached caution when weighing up driver moves, highlighting the danger of an over-hyped prospect with an over-inflated price tag.

"Nevertheless, you always have to be careful when assessing drivers," he added. "In this sport, you quickly get hyped up after a good race. Then the price rises and suddenly we're talking about 20 or 30 million dollars."

The team principal of the Enstone squad when it was Benetton and later Renault underlined Alpine's young driver programme and the wealth of talent coming through to F1.

"The choice today is much greater than it used to be," he explained. "Today, there are six to seven promising drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

"We want to concentrate on the good ones in our academy and no longer run around with a watering can. It will probably come down to three drivers. Aron, [Gabriele] Mini and [Victor] Martins."