But then again,\u00a0Isack Hadjar<\/a> is favourite to replace the struggling Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> at Red Bull, with F2\u2019s Arvid Lindblad<\/a>\u00a0potentially contesting his rookie campaign at sister squad Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is happening at Alpine though is a lot more unknown. Lead driver Pierre Gasly<\/a> is signed until the end of 2028, but Franco Colapinto<\/a> is fighting for his future, having not yet scored a point in 2025.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n That is despite a relatively solid nine-round stint with Williams<\/a> last year, when the rookie claimed two points finishes and impressed much of the paddock.\u00a0<\/p>\n So what should Alpine do with him? Extend his contract or replace the struggling 22-year-old, but with whom?\u00a0<\/p>\n Give Colapinto another year – Stuart Codling Franco Colapinto, Alpine<\/p>\n Photo by: Sam Bloxham \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n F1 is a category inhabited by people with short memories, but I\u2019m old enough to remember when Colapinto was the most exciting new talent in town. Indeed, this time last year there were those who became very animated when pointing out that he\u2019d just outqualified an experienced and highly rated team-mate\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Alex Albon<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 in only his second grand prix weekend (although, since Albon only got one Q3 lap in because the team left an airbox fan in situ, that claim requires some suspension of disbelief).<\/p>\n Thereafter, Colapinto\u2019s exuberance took him into the wall a couple of times too often, but he had done enough to amply demonstrate that he\u2019s quick.<\/p>\n In the Alpine this season that tendency to make mistakes has persisted, but the speed has been masked by a car which is tricky to drive and has had little development. Tossing Colapinto on the bonfire now would be to mirror the folly of Red Bull<\/a>, which has motored through several occupants of the second seat before realising that the car was the problem.<\/p>\n Alpine has no such delusions but remains under pressure from above to deliver, so Flavio Briatore may be tempted to swing the axe anyway to demonstrate that he\u2019s busy doing something.<\/p>\n But who else would represent a meaningful upgrade? Indubitably, Colapinto is better than we\u2019ve seen this season. Give him a better car and we should see the fireworks those first races with Williams suggested were possible.<\/p>\n Tsunoda would be a major coup should Red Bull release him – Ben Vinel Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri, Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri<\/p>\n Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool<\/p>\n I believe Tsunoda should be a no-brainer for Alpine if he happens to be available.<\/p>\n That\u2019s an \u2018if\u2019, yet not unlikely, as Red Bull may want to create space for Lindblad to graduate to F1 next year and Tsunoda has failed to reach the hoped-for level next to Max Verstappen<\/a> \u2013 just like his predecessors.<\/p>\n Tsunoda is fast, there\u2019s no doubt about it; still inconsistent, albeit more and more experienced. His time at Red Bull is not quite panning out the way he\u2019d want, but he certainly is learning a lot in this difficult situation. Top-team experience has always been valuable in F1; that\u2019s why Cadillac opted for Valtteri Bottas<\/a> and Sergio Perez<\/a>, two drivers who arguably are past their prime but can steer the new American squad in the right direction.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Tsunoda\u2019s relationship with Gasly must not be overlooked. The two were team-mates at AlphaTauri during the Japanese racer\u2019s first two seasons in F1. Tsunoda had spent just two years in Europe prior to his F1 debut in 2021, so the then 20-year-old was still feeling the culture shock. Gasly played a big-brother role, and the two are now friends.<\/p>\n Admittedly, team-mate harmony will hardly make or break a team\u00a0\u2013 setting aside F1\u2019s wildest rivalries\u00a0\u2013 but this would still be a nice boost for Alpine.<\/p>\n F2 leader Fornaroli can be the next Bortoleto – Jake Boxall-Legge Race winner Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing<\/p>\n Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd<\/p>\n After speaking to Leonardo Fornaroli for the October issue of Autosport, it soon became clear just how driven the young Italian was in his goal of reaching F1. Even without the support of a current F1 team’s academy set-up, he’s been a paragon of consistency and professionalism in F2, interspersing victories with points finishes in all but two races. He’s a reserved character who doesn’t get involved in incidents, and not the most flamboyant of racers\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but for a rookie he’s been incredibly impressive.<\/p>\n Fornaroli should absolutely be in the reckoning for an Alpine drive next year.<\/p>\n If Gabriel Bortoleto<\/a> (who followed an incredibly similar trajectory through the junior levels) can make it to F1 and almost immediately prove that he belongs in the series, then Fornaroli should be considered as a similar talent. Much had been made of his winless run to the F3 title in 2024, but a) he’s dispelled the suggestions that he can’t close out races with his four F2 wins this term, and b) at Alpine, it’s likely that the expectation of winning races won’t become immediately apparent.<\/p>\n What the team needs is someone who, when given a car capable of points finishes, can deliver them metronomically. That’s been his modus operandi for the past two seasons. Alpine needs stability in the second seat, and that’s something that Fornaroli’s potential should be able to corner. While Colapinto has been improving of late, he’s not been consistent.<\/p>\n As much as Briatore might feel more inclined to promote from within the Alpine system, there’s some real potential lurking outside of the programme\u00a0\u2013 they just need a chance in the spotlight.<\/p>\n A messy environment has made it hard for Colapinto – Ed Hardy Franco Colapinto, Alpine<\/p>\n Photo by: Sam Bagnall \/ Sutton Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be real: Colapinto isn\u2019t a superstar. He had an average junior career, only took fourth in his sophomore F3 campaign, was hardly on anybody\u2019s radar to reach F1 and got there simply by being in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n Granted, his start to life at Williams was impressive\u00a0\u2013 two point finishes in his opening four grands prix marked a considerable improvement over predecessor Logan Sargeant<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 but lots of drivers can perform well when they have a point to prove. Just look at Nyck de Vries<\/a> in the build-up to him landing an F1 drive.\u00a0<\/p>\n Colapinto\u2019s early results were never sustainable in the long-term and that has been proven this year, as he still awaits his first points finish for Alpine. But Alpine, as a whole, is in a bit of a mess, and there are problems which lie deeper than Colapinto.<\/p>\n The management structure, for example, has been under constant change, talks of a Christian Horner buy-in will not die down and why-oh-why has it built a five-a-side team of reserve drivers?<\/p>\n Amid all the chaos it needs stability, and one way it can do that is by not churning through team-mates for Gasly, because otherwise it is just adding to the problem. One does have doubts over Colapinto being the long-term solution for Alpine, but would his results improve should the team give him its full public support?<\/p>\n A driver can do a lot better if he is given the confidence and freeness to perform and, right now, Colapinto isn\u2019t getting any of that. He is only 22 years old after all, so it\u2019s understandable if the Argentine isn\u2019t the finished article just yet.<\/p>\n So be patient, let him develop, see how he adapts to the new regulations and if he is still struggling in 12 months\u2019 time then, fine, move on. But the sample size is currently too small and the environment at Alpine would make it hard for anybody to perform.\u00a0<\/p>\n Browning is worth the punt – Kevin Turner Podium: second place Luke Browning, Hitech TGR<\/p>\n Photo by: Peter Fox \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n When the second Williams seat was filled by Sargeant and then Colapinto, Luke Browning<\/a>\u2019s chances of an F1 opportunity at the Grove outfit looked reasonable. But with the impressive Albon and proven grand prix winner Carlos Sainz<\/a> now on the Williams books, perhaps the 23-year-old needs to start considering other options.<\/p>\n There aren\u2019t a lot of drivers with extensive F1 experience who haven\u2019t been signed up elsewhere already, so it makes sense for Alpine to look at those towards the top of the junior single-seater ladder. Its own academy members Gabriele Mini and Kush Maini have had difficult seasons in F2, while Browning is still in the title fight in third spot.<\/p>\n Third in F3 last season with two feature race wins, Browning has been consistently in the mix at the front of the field in his rookie F2 campaign. He has scored nine podiums, including a win in the main race at Monza, and has had an edge over his Hitech team-mate Dino Beganovic, who is a Ferrari<\/a> Driver Academy member.<\/p>\n The 2022 GB3 champion is a good racer, has a positive personality that would quickly get his engineers and mechanics on-side, and has always been a winner despite a relative lack of funds and never having stayed long in any series.<\/p>\n Browning impressed during his Aston Martin F1 prize test drive for his success in the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award, which he won against current Haas driver Oliver Bearman<\/a>. He\u2019s also tested F1 machinery with Williams and has been around the paddock enough to have a good idea about how it all works.<\/p>\n You can never be sure how a young driver will get on when they get their F1 chance, but Browning\u2019s experience and record so far suggest he has what it takes.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want your opinion!<\/p>\n What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Franco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760454430_583_franco-colapinto-alpine.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Yuki](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/yuki-tsunoda-alphatauri-pierre-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Race](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/race-winner-leonardo-fornaroli.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Franco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1759861209_288_franco-colapinto-alpine.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n ![\"Podium:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/podium-second-place-luke-brown.jpg\")
<\/p>\n