The 2026 Formula 1 grid is starting to take shape and there are only four teams left to officially confirm their driver line-ups for next season.
mercedes There is one, but hopefully the Silver Arrows will keep their pair george russell And Andrea Kimi AntonelliWhereas alpine, red Bull And racing bulls There are three others.
but then again, isaac hadjar is the favorite to transform the struggling yuki tsunoda In Red Bull, with F2 Arvid Lindblad Potentially contesting his rookie campaign with sister squad Racing Bulls Liam Lawson,
However what is happening in the alpine remains largely unknown. lead driver pierre gasly Signed by the end of 2028, but Franco Colapinto Fighting for its future, 2025 has yet to score a single point.
This is despite a relatively solid nine-round stint Williams Last year, when the rookie scored two points and impressed the paddock.
So what should Alpine do with it? Extend his contract or replace the struggling 22-year-old, but with whom?
Give Colapinto another year – Stuart Codding
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: Sam Bloxham/LAT Images via Getty Images
F1 is a category inhabited by people with short memories, but I’m old enough to remember when Colapinto was the most exciting new talent in town. In fact, this time last year there were people who were very excited to report that they had toppled an experienced and highly rated team-mate – Alex Albon – in only his second Grand Prix weekend (although, Albon only got one Q3 lap because the team left an airbox fan in place, that claim requires some suspension of disbelief).
After this, Colapinto’s enthusiasm caused him to hit the wall several times, but he did enough to demonstrate that he was fast.
Alpine continues to have a tendency to make mistakes this season, but the pace has been masked by a car that is difficult to drive and has had little development. Now throwing Colapinto on the bonfire would reflect stupidity red BullWhich has troubled many people sitting in the other seat before realizing that there was a problem with the car.
Alpine has no such illusions, but there is pressure from above to deliver, so Flavio Briatore may be tempted to take the ax on himself to show he is up to something.
But who else would represent a meaningful upgrade? Undoubtedly, Colapinto is better than what we’ve seen this season. Give him a better car and we should see the fireworks that were possible in the first race as Williams suggested.
It would be a huge coup if Red Bull released Tsunoda – Ben Withnell
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
I believe if the Tsunoda becomes available it should be no problem for Alpine.
It’s an ‘if’, yet not unlikely, as Red Bull look to make room for Lindblad to graduate to F1 next year should Tsunoda fail to reach the next expected level max verstappen – Just like its predecessors.
Tsunoda is fast, there’s no doubt about that; Despite becoming more and more experienced, still inconsistent. His time at Red Bull is not going the way he wanted, but he is certainly learning a lot in this difficult situation. Top-team experience has always been valuable in F1; That’s why cadillac was chosen valtteri bottas And sergio perezTwo drivers who are arguably past their prime but could lead the new American squad in the right direction.
Furthermore, Tsunoda’s relationship with Gasly should not be ignored. The two were teammates at AlphaTauri during the Japanese racer’s first two seasons in F1. Tsunoda had spent just two years in Europe before his F1 debut in 2021, so the then-20-year-old was still feeling the culture shock. Gasly took on the role of older brother and the two are now friends.
Admittedly, teammate cohesion is unlikely to make or break a team – F1’s wild rivalries aside – but it would still be a nice boost for Alpine.
F2 leader Fornaroli could be the next Bortoletto – Jake Boxall-Legge
Race Winner Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Limited
After speaking to Leonardo Fornaroli for the October issue of Autosport, it soon became clear how motivated the young Italian was in his goal of reaching F1. Even without the support of the current F1 team’s academy set-up, he has been a paragon of consistency and professionalism in F2, taking wins as well as points in all but two races. He is a reserved character who does not attend events, and is not the most flamboyant of the racers – but for a rookie he is incredibly impressive.
Fornaroli should definitely be suitable for an alpine drive next year.
If gabriel bortoletto (who followed an incredibly similar trajectory through the junior levels) can make it into F1 and almost immediately prove he belongs in the series, then Fornaroli should be treated as a similar talent. Much has been said about his winless run until the F3 title in 2024, but a) he has dismissed suggestions that he might not end the run with his four F2 wins this term, and b) in the Alpine, it is likely that the hope of winning the race will not be immediately obvious.
The team needs someone who, given a car capable of scoring points finishes, can deliver them metronomically. This has been his modus operandi for the last two seasons. Alpine needs stability in the second seat, and this is something Fornaroli’s ability to achieve. Although Colapinto has been improving for some time now, he has not been able to perform consistently.
As much as Briatore may feel inclined to promote from within the Alpine system, there are some real prospects lurking outside the program – they just need a chance to step into the spotlight.
Dirty environment made it tough for Colapinto – Ed Hardy
Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photo by: Sam Bagnall/Sutton, Images via Getty Images
Let’s be real: Colapinto is no superstar. He had an average junior career, finishing only fourth in his sophomore F3 campaign, was hardly on anyone’s radar to reach F1 and got there by virtue of being in the right place at the right time.
Granted, his start to life at Williams was impressive – double-digit finishes in his first four Grands Prix marked a considerable improvement over the preceding logan sergeant – But a lot of drivers can perform well when they have a point to prove. just look Nick de Vries Preparing to take on the F1 drive.
Colapinto’s early results are never sustainable for long and that has been proven this year, as he is still waiting for his first points for Alpine. But Alpine, as a whole, is in a bit of a mess, and there are problems that run even deeper than Colapinto.
For example, the management structure has been subject to constant change, Christian Horner’s buy-out discussions won’t go away and why-oh-why has he created a five-a-side team of reserve drivers?
It needs stability amidst all the chaos, and one way to do that is to not churn out teammates for Gasly, because otherwise it is only exacerbating the problem. One doubts Colapinto is a long-term solution for Alpine, but will giving the team its full public support improve its results?
A driver can do a much better job if he is given the confidence and freedom to perform and, right now, Colapinto is getting none of that. He is only 22 years old, after all, so it makes sense that the Argentine is not the finished article yet.
So be patient, let him develop, see how he adapts to the new rules and if he’s still struggling in 12 months’ time, that’s okay, move on. But currently the sample size is very small and the alpine environment would make it difficult for anyone to perform.
Browning is worth the punt – Kevin Turner
Podium: 2nd place Luke Browning, Hitech TGR
Photo by: Peter Fox/Getty Images
When the second Williams seat was filled by Sargent and then Colapinto, luke browningThe prospect of an F1 opportunity at the Grove organization seemed reasonable. But with the impressive Albon and proven grand prix winner carlos saenz With Williams now on the books, perhaps the 23-year-old will have to start considering other options.
There aren’t too many drivers with extensive F1 experience who haven’t already been signed up elsewhere, so it makes sense for Alpine to look to those at the top of the junior single-seater ladder. Its own academy members Gabriel Mini and Kush Maini have had difficult seasons in F2, while Browning is still in the title race in third place.
Finishing third in F3 last season with two feature race wins, Browning has been consistently in the mix at the front of the field in his rookie F2 campaign. He has achieved nine podiums, including a win in the main race at Monza, and has the lead over his high-tech teammate Dino Beganovic, who has one. ferrari Driver Academy Member.
The 2022 GB3 champion is a good racer, has a positive personality that quickly wins over his engineers and mechanics, and has always been a winner despite his relative lack of money and has never lasted long in any series.
Browning impressed during the Aston Martin F1 Awards test drive for his success in the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, which he won against the current Haas driver. oliver bearmanHe has also tested F1 machinery with Williams and been around the paddock long enough to have a good idea of how it all works.
You can never be sure how a young driver will perform when he gets his F1 chance, but Browning’s experience and record so far suggests he has what it takes.
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