Franco Colapinto emerged as one of the most exciting talents on the grid following his call-up to Williams last season, but a tough 2025 with Alpine means that things may start to unravel for the young Argentine.
Following the conclusion of the British Grand Prix, F1 Oversteer exclusively reported that Mercedes are pushing for Valtteri Bottas to replace Colapinto at Alpine, amid pressure on the 22-year-old for results.
Alpine currently sit bottom of the constructors’ standings at the midpoint of the season with Colapinto being the only driver currently on the grid to have not scored a single point. He replaced Jack Doohan before the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, whose departure was due to a lack of quality performances.
RaceColapinto’s ClassificationEmilia-Romagna Grand Prix16thMonaco Grand Prix13thSpanish Grand Prix15thCanadian Grand Prix13thAustrian Grand Prix15thBritish Grand PrixDNS
Valtteri Bottas stated that he was ‘ready to jump’ into the Alpine following rumours of the seat being up for grabs, noting that he has stayed race-ready due to his position as reserve for Mercedes.
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Franco Colapinto’s contract at Williams could see him take up a reserve role in F1 if he is sacked from Alpine
Colapinto’s future at the Enstone-based team ‘doesn’t sound good’ as paddock rumours suggest that he could be replaced as soon as before the Belgian Grand Prix. That doesn’t mean to say the Argentine will be completely out on the streets if he is given the boot by Alpine.
Speaking on the Unlapped podcast about his future, Laurence Edmondson highlighted Colapinto’s deal with Williams, stating, “The other factor with Franco Colapinto is that ultimately, he’s on a Williams contract.
“If the door is really closed at Alpine to him racing, then I think he goes back to Williams and you know sits in the reserve driver role there, which doesn’t look that promising.
“Sainz and Albon are both committed to at least seeing what Williams can do in 2026, but actually seem to be committed a little bit longer term to that that project.”
Williams do not have a dedicated driver to fill the reserve role for them. Colapinto was their man at the beginning of the season, but his loan to Alpine for a starting spot has meant that they would potentially have to look towards Mercedes’ pool of reserves if needed, given their engine partnership with the German constructor.
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Valtteri Bottas isn’t short of options in F1 amid interest from the new Cadillac team
Whilst the Finnish driver did state that he is ready to jump into the Alpine at a moment’s notice, it isn’t the first choice for Bottas, who is ‘more interested in exploring’ a full-time seat with Cadillac.
In fact, it has been suggested that a deal has been ‘agreed’ between Bottas and Cadillac for a 2026 seat, but nothing has been officially signed yet. Cadillac representatives were in the paddock at Silverstone, holding talks with plenty of capable candidates.
Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
The signing of somebody of Bottas’ calibre would be extremely helpful for the new team, as the Finn’s experience of developing a race-winning car could prove to be invaluable for a team who are starting from complete scratch.
The 35-year-old driver has stood on the podium 67 times, with 10 of those being on the top step, over an 11-year career in the sport so far. He spent five of those years with Mercedes, where his consistent results aided the German constructor in winning five consecutive constructors’ championships.