Flavio Briatore confirms Franco Colapinto decision as Alpine 2026 driver plans take shape

Flavio Briatore has decided to give Franco Colapinto until the end of October to save his Formula 1 career. The Argentine has struggled to make an impact since being promoted to a race seat and remains pointless for the season.

Signed last winter as a reserve, Colapinto's presence immediately put pressure on rookie Jack Doohan. And, after zero top-10 finishes across the first six rounds, the Australian driver was dropped – but the racer installed in his place by Alpine has also floundered.

The team needs Colapinto to contribute more – they sit rock bottom of the championship and all 20 of their points amassed so far were scored by Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman last week signed a new contract keeping him with the Renault-owned squad until 2028.

Colapinto must improve if he is to keep his place, and Alpine have another reserve who they can trial in the form of Paul Aron. But de facto team principal Briatore has hinted that will not happen until the final few rounds of the season.

Speaking to French news agency AFP, the Italian said he plans to make a decision over his driver line-up by the end of October, after the Mexican Grand Prix when there will be four rounds remaining. But he went on to suggest his preferred course of action would be to avoid having to make another change.

Briatore said: "The team needs stability, and the possibility of keeping the same drivers is part of that stability. We have not decided yet but, under normal conditions, stability means keeping both of them."

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While their drivers situation has been far from ideal, the consensus is that Alpine have had a far bigger problem. Their general lack of competitiveness this year has been chalked up to their underperformant engine, which has been detrimental to both their qualifying and race pace.

Briatore decided last year to shut down Renault's in-house engine production and end the outfit's days as a works team. From next season, Alpine will race with Mercedes power units after a customer deal was struck.

And the Italian is hoping it will contribute to an upturn in fortunes after being left surprised by the extent of their struggles this year. He added: "In 2026, we will have an engine like the others. It may or may not be better, but we will no longer have the excuses we have now with the engine.

"Honestly, we thought we would be much better this year. The engine we have is really a big handicap, especially now that the 20 cars are within a second of each other. With two tenths less, you can find yourself from sixth to 17th place."