Valtteri Bottas has been linked to Franco Colapinto’s Alpine seat, but the Argentine CEO of Renault is adamant Colapinto isn’t going anywhere.

At least, not before the “end” of this year.

Will Franco Colapinto continue with Alpine?

Colapinto joined Alpine ahead of the F1 2025 season, with his arrival putting pressure on incumbent driver Jack Doohan. After the Australian racer failed to score in the first six races of the championship, he was replaced by the Argentinian.

But failing to improve on Doohan’s results, it is now Colapinto who is under pressure to hold onto the race seat.

Unlike Doohan, who was given a set number of races, Colapinto was, according to the Alpine press release given five, only for executive director Flavio Briatore to proclaim that he’ll have as many as needed.

The Italian wants just three things from the driver.

“He needs to be fast, not crash, and score points,” he added. “I’m only asking him these three things — not 10.

“If he does them well, he’ll drive forever.”

Alas, Colapinto has not met any of those targets.

Alpine team-mates: F1 2025 head-to-head stats

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

Yet to score a point this season, the driver crashed in qualifying for the Imola Grand Prix before hitting the barrier in the Saturday afternoon session at Silverstone, when he spun off into the gravel at Club corner.

Although Alpine repaired the car, he wasn’t able to start due to a gearbox issue.

It meant Colapinto has yet to get off the mark for Alpine.

This has led to speculation, confirmed by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, that Alpine are interested in signing Mercedes reserve driver Valtteri Bottas.

While it hasn’t been confirmed whether that is for this year, or F1 2026, Wolff said Briatore had spoken to him a “few times” about Bottas.

PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Bottas has had positive talks with the team about a potential comeback.

But for now, Alpine, at least in Argentina, are pushing for Colapinto to retain the race seat.

An Argentine broadcaster asked Renault Argentina CEO Pablo Sibilla if Colapinto would continue for a couple more races.

Sibilla replied: “Yes, end of year.

“He will stay the whole championship. Flavio himself said that we forgot about the five races.”

Colapinto too is confident he’s not going anywhere any time soon as he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, at Silverstone.

“I think every time it’s race by race, you know,” he said of his Alpine contract situation.

Pressed on whether Alpine had given his ‘goals’ to retain the seat long-term, he replied: “No.

“I think in general, we are just trying to focus on doing the best job we can. We are trying to get better as a team.

“We are, of course, on my side, pushing the most to improve the aspects that I have to improve. I’m very good in the races, I’m struggling a bit more in qualifying.

“I know that there is things to find on our side, but also I think in general as a team, we need to still do a step with the car.

“We are not quite there to score points every race, that’s what we want. And I think we need to make things better on every side as well, a part of just focusing on that.”

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