BREAKING: Alpine F1 Team Eyes Franco Colapinto for Contract

The Alpine F1 Team is considering bringing in Franco Colapinto, a young driver who’s caught their eye due to his excellent performances with Williams in 2024 alongside Alex Albon. This interest is being steered by Flavio Briatore, their executive advisor, who sees Colapinto as part of a growing trend in Formula 1 to focus on nurturing young talents. He is looking at the 2026 season for this potential move. Flavio Briatore, with his history of signing top talents, is back at Alpine guiding their future direction after a difficult few years in the ground-effect era. He aims to build a strong foundation by incorporating young, talented drivers. Briatore has been instrumental in the past, bringing stars like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso into the spotlight. Now, he is steering the Enstone squad’s path by focusing on promising young drivers who can contribute to long-term success. Currently, Alpine has Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan in their 2025 lineup, with Esteban Ocon moving to Haas. There’s speculation about further changes, with Colapinto’s name coming up often. Briatore’s leadership is keen on ensuring long-term commitment from drivers, something that played against Carlos Sainz. Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Williams attends the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 05, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab… Franco Colapinto of Argentina and Williams attends the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 05, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Alpine is keeping an eye on the young driver after his Williams stint. Clive Mason/Getty Images Briatore said the following via MotorsportTotal.com: “Either he believes in our program or he doesn’t… I don’t need a driver who costs me a lot of money and is only concerned about being able to go to another team if the opportunity arises.” Recognizing the promise in Formula 2 and Formula 3 as strong feeder series, he pointed out: “Today there are six to seven drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3 who are very promising. “I am interested in any driver who is fast,” he said about the young driver who took over Logan Sargeant’s spot at the Grove team. Alpine’s vision also includes revamping its driver academy to focus on a select group rather than spreading resources thinly. Briatore elaborated: “We want to concentrate on the good guys in our academy and stop using a watering can… It will probably come down to three drivers: Aron, [Gabriele] Mini and [Victor] Martins.” This approach may lead to huge impacts on Formula 1 as a whole. By fostering young talent, Alpine is keeping pace with a global shift in the industry towards a more youthful lineup. “Young drivers are hungrier than someone who has a wife and two children and 30 or 40 million in the bank.” Pre-Season Testing Australia China Japan Bahrain Saudi Arabia Miami Emilia-Romagna Monaco Spain Canada Austria Great Britain Belgium Hungary Netherlands Italy Azerbaijan Singapore United States Mexico Brazil Las Vegas Qatar Abu Dhabi