Alpine Confirms Franco Colapinto for 2027 Alongside Pierre Gasly

Franco Colapinto’s Formula 1 story with Alpine is no short-term fling. It’s a project now stretching deep into the future.

The Enstone team has confirmed the Argentine will stay on as a race driver for 2027, lining up once again alongside Pierre Gasly in an unchanged pairing the team believes can drag it back towards the sharp end of the grid.

From reserve to mainstay

Colapinto’s rise inside Alpine has been rapid. Initially signed as a reserve for 2025, he was thrown into the spotlight when he stepped into the race seat from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, replacing Jack Doohan.

He did enough in that first stint to be retained for this season. Since then, he has banked 19 points across six Grands Prix, helping Alpine up to sixth in the Constructors’ standings and, crucially, building a strong on-track and off-track alliance with Gasly.

Gasly, who committed to Alpine until at least the end of 2028 around this time last year, had long been the favourite to keep his seat. The question was who would sit in the other car. Alpine’s answer is clear: stick, not twist.

Briatore backs continuity

Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore framed the decision as a cornerstone of Alpine’s rebuild, stressing that stability in the cockpit gives the team the platform it needs.

“We are very happy to confirm our driver line-up for 2027 with Franco staying as a race driver alongside Pierre,” he said, underlining how highly the team rates the 21-year-old.

For Briatore, the message was blunt. Drivers sorted. Now build them a weapon.

“For me, having consistency is very important. We are now settled from a driver point of view and I have said many times that, while this is an important piece of the puzzle, the most significant we have to get right is designing and building a fast race car, which absolutely remains our number one priority.”

The internal review of Colapinto’s first full campaign has only strengthened Alpine’s conviction. His standout performances in Miami and Montreal were singled out by Briatore as proof that he belongs in the top tier.

“We have seen Franco truly grow and mature into a great driver this year. His results in Miami and Montreal especially confirmed what I already knew: Franco belongs in Formula 1 and he belongs at this team.

“I expect both Franco, and Pierre, to continue doing a fantastic job on track and for the entire team to push relentlessly until we are fighting, and winning, at the front end of this sport.”

Colapinto settles in for the long haul

Colapinto, for his part, sounds like a driver who has found both a home and a horizon.

“I am very pleased to remain with this team in 2027. I feel very happy and very settled here and it’s been even better that we have made significant progress this year compared to last,” he said.

There was no attempt to hide the scale of Alpine’s ambitions. The targets are not top 10s. They are trophies.

“We have a lot more milestones to reach and I know the team is working so hard in finding performance and making the car better and better.

“Our long-term goals are obvious – to compete and win – and I am grateful to the team, Flavio and Steve [Nielsen, Managing Director], for the trust placed in me to be one of its drivers going into the future.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how everything plays out and focusing on my job on-track first and foremost.”

Eyes on Monza and beyond

The timing of the announcement is no accident. It lands just before next weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, where Colapinto will receive the upgraded package first trialled by Gasly at Zandvoort.

Gasly had the new parts ahead of schedule; now both cars will carry the development push into Monza’s flat-out theatre. With the driver picture locked in and the technical team under pressure to deliver the next step, Alpine’s direction is unmistakable.

The question now is not who will drive the blue cars in 2027. It’s whether those cars will be quick enough to match the ambition of the duo strapped into them.