Franco Colapinto has a new contract, a settled future and, apparently, big ambitions. The Argentine has just locked in his Alpine seat through 2027 and is already talking about the team finishing in the top five, a target Alpine has not touched since 2022. Bold words from a team currently sixth in a field of eleven.
Colapinto sits 12 in the drivers’ championship with 19 points to his name this season, some way adrift of the sharp end. That context matters, because when a driver starts talking about pushing for a top five constructors’ finish, you’d expect the underlying form to back it up. It doesn’t, not yet anyway.
A Contract Earned, Not Gifted
Alpine confirmed last week that it would run an unchanged line-up in 2027, keeping Colapinto alongside Pierre Gasly, who is already tied down on a long-term deal. It’s worth remembering how Colapinto even got here: he replaced Jack Doohan a handful of rounds into last season, inheriting a car that was, by most measures, a mess while Enstone poured its energy into the 2026 project instead.
That gamble paid off, at least in the sense that this year’s Alpine has been a regular points scorer rather than a backmarker. Colapinto’s own form played a part in convincing the team to keep faith, and he was quick to credit the operation rather than himself when discussing the extension.
“Of course, very happy to continue, very, very happy and grateful to the team that has done an amazing job since I started. Last year was tricky, this year we have made a big step together as a team, and it’s great to continue this journey together and to be able to keep working as a family for next season.” – Franco Colapinto
Gratitude is easy to dish out when the alternative was potentially losing your seat. What’s more interesting is what comes next, because Colapinto isn’t just talking about survival anymore. He’s talking about targets.
The Top Five Talk
Unlike last year, when Alpine effectively parked development of its current car to focus everything on the 2026 machine, Colapinto has made clear the team has no intention of downing tools this time around. No sandbagging, no long-term project excuse. The plan, according to the man himself, is to keep developing right through to the end of the year and carry that momentum into 2027.
“We have a lot of work to do, and we are going to try hard to keep developing and keep improving as a team, that’s the goal for us.” – Franco Colapinto, told media including RacingNews365
He went further, framing this season as the launchpad for genuine progress next year rather than just a holding pattern before the new regulations land.
“It’s great to be with the team for another year. Of course, we have to keep working a lot. We are going to be pushing this year. First, our goal is to finish as high as we can, and then, of course, we want another step for 2027.” – Franco Colapinto
Fine sentiments. But “finish as high as we can” and a genuine top five push are two very different ambitions, and right now Alpine is 63 points, closer to the Racing Bulls team above it than Haas below it in the constructors’ table. Closing that sort of gap in the remaining eleven races would require more than good intentions and a family atmosphere in the garage.
What Colapinto Still Has to Prove
None of this is to dismiss the improvement Alpine has made compared to last year’s chaos. But Colapinto’s own numbers tell a story of a driver who has stabilised, not one who is dragging the team up the order by himself. One win, or even a podium, would do more for his case than any number of well-meaning quotes about family and hard work.
The Dutch Grand Prix fallout, which saw Colapinto in talks with the FIA president over a penalty dispute, is a reminder that his season hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing either. A driver embroiled in stewarding rows and sitting twelfth in the standings talking about top five finishes needs to back it up on track, and fast.
Alpine has earned some credit for not repeating last year’s mistake of freezing development mid-season. That much is genuinely sensible. But ambition without results is just noise, and Colapinto now has eleven races and then a full campaign in 2027 to turn his talk into something the standings actually reflect. If he doesn’t, this contract extension will look less like a vote of confidence and more like a team with nowhere else to turn.
