Pressure is mounting on Franco Colapinto as he finished at the back of the grid again with Alpine at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Things did look promising for the Argentine as he outqualified teammate Pierre Gasly and reached Q2, lining up 14th. However, the Alpine duo fell backwards in the race and finished last on track in 18th and 19th respectively.
The Enstone outfit had a disaster in the pits as Colapinto had a 10-second stop during the Hungarian Grand Prix. He remains the only driver not to score a point in 2025, with speculation continuing to spread about his future.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 284 2 275 3 187 4 172 5 151 6 109 7 64 8 54 9 37 10 27 11 26 12 26 13 22 14 20 15 20 16 16 17 14 18 10 19 8 20 0 21 0
Flavio Briatore has been demanding points from Colapinto, as Gasly is the only one the team are relying on for top 10 finishes at present. The Alpine boss has been supportive of the 22-year-old, but it is clear that he is now assessing his options for the future.
There were reports that Jack Doohan was ‘expecting’ to race instead of Colapinto at Spa, but that did not materialise. The Aussie and Paul Aron are some options within Alpine’s driver pool to land the seat, and Briatore is also looking at the F1 driver market for possible candidates.
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesFlavio Briatore sees a ‘win-win situation’ by signing Sergio Perez to replace Franco Colapinto
Valtteri Bottas has been linked with Alpine in recent weeks, with Mercedes reportedly pushing for the Finn to join the team, given that the Enstone outfit will become their customer team in 2026.
Reports suggested that Bottas does not want to go ‘anywhere near’ Alpine amid his discussions with Cadillac. However, Bottas recently opened the door to joining Alpine by admitting that he would be interested in a ‘short-term’ move.
Sergio Perez has also been linked with Alpine as the Mexican looks to find a way back on the F1 grid after his exit from Red Bull. Briatore is believed to favour an experienced driver, and journalist Ralf Bach says he should not be ruled out of the running to replace Colapinto.
“So I still think that he’s under scrutiny from Briatore, still being viewed critically, and anyone who knows Briatore knows that he has other ideas about the future,” he said via F1-Insider about Colapinto.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that he has already talked to Bottas, and I also believe that Perez should not be underestimated when it comes to who will drive for Alpine next, because Perez has experience and has millions behind him again from Carlos Slim, who wants to bring him back to Formula 1.
“So Briatore definitely sees a win-win situation in getting Perez, and I wouldn’t necessarily rule out that happening.”
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesFranco Colapinto has numerous issues to fix over the summer break to save his Alpine seat
Along with adding significant commercial value, Perez will offer much-needed experience for Alpine. Colapinto has been struggling with the A525 since joining from Williams.
Raw pace has been an issue for the Argentine, with regular Q1 exits and a lack of speed in races. Alpine insiders say Colapinto is too far behind Gasly, which is costing them in the constructors’ championship as they fall further behind after the Hungarian GP.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 559 2 260 3 236 4 194 5 70 6 52 7 51 8 45 9 35 10 20
But Alpine have a ‘bigger problem’ with Colapinto’s errors over his pace. His crash-proneness has followed him from Williams, with numerous accidents and rookie mistakes hampering the team.
Martin Brundle reckons Colapinto ‘definitely’ faces uncertainty beyond 2025, with several drivers waiting in the wings to replace him. A huge reset over the summer break is needed if he wants to stay in F1.