Flavio Briatore has teased that Alpine will launch a fresh move for Franco Colapinto for the F1 2026 season, insisting that the Williams driver has to be seriously considered for a race seat.

Colapinto won many admirers after replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams in August, scoring points in two of his first four starts in Azerbaijan and the United States.

Alpine to renew interest in Franco Colapinto for F1 2026 season?

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The Argentine’s instant impact put him on the radar of some of F1’s biggest teams including Red Bull, where Colapinto was briefly considered as a potential replacement for Sergio Perez.

Despite finalising their F1 2025 driver lineup of Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan at the Dutch Grand Prix, Alpine were also linked with an ambitious move for Colapinto.

A PlanetF1.com spy shot (bottom) captured Colapinto and his manager, Maria Catarineu of Bullet Sports Management, in conversation with Briatore in the paddock at the Qatar Grand Prix.

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It came after rumours that Alpine were even considering backing out of the deal to promote Doohan as Gasly’s team-mate for next season to create a space for Colapinto.

Yet with Doohan making his F1 debut at last week’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ahead of his first full campaign, Alpine’s interest in signing Colapinto for next year is believed to have cooled following a number of costly on-track incidents.

Colapinto is now expected to remain as Williams reserve driver for at least the start of F1 2025, with the team having already committed to fielding Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in race seats.

However, Briatore has raised the possibility that Alpine could renew their interest in Colapinto for F1 2026, insisting that the Enstone team must explore any opportunity to land the talented youngster.

He told German publication Auto Motor und Sport: “I’m interested in any driver who is fast.

“Colapinto surprised everyone, but we have contracts with Gasly, Doohan and [Paul] Aron for next season.

“If there was an opportunity to get Colapinto for 2026, you have to think about it. Nevertheless, you always have to be careful when assessing drivers.

“In this sport, you quickly get hyped up after a good race. Then the price rises and suddenly we’re talking about 20 or 30 million dollars.

“The choice today is much greater than it used to be. Today, there are six to seven promising drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

“We want to concentrate on the good ones in our academy and no longer run around with a watering can.

“It will probably come down to three drivers: Aron, [Gabriele] Mini and [Victor] Martins.”

F1 is experiencing a generational shift with the likes of Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen bowing out in Abu Dhabi and likely to be followed by Perez.

Doohan is set to be one of four rookies on the grid in F1 2025 with Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber/Audi F1) also making their debuts.

Red Bull junior Isack Hadjar, who finished second to Bortoleto in the F2 feeder series standings, could also be handed a race seat for F1 2025 if Perez is replaced by Liam Lawson, creating a vacancy alongside Yuki Tsunoda at the Racing Bulls team.

Briatore feels Sainz’s struggles to secure a top seat for F1 2025 is a sign of a generational shift and has credited former Alpine junior Oscar Piastri’s impact at McLaren for leading outfits being more prepared to place their trust in young talent.

He explained: “It is now time for a generational change.

“Sainz is a very good driver, but when he was on the market, none of the top teams took him on.

“They prefer to go for young drivers. Toto Wolff on Antonelli, Christian Horner on Lawson.

“Young drivers are hungrier than someone who has a wife and two children and €30-40million in the bank. Even Enzo Ferrari said that drivers slow down when they have children.

“I think the rise of Piastri has made people think. Bearman jumps into a Ferrari overnight [in Saudi Arabia] and drives a great race.

“The young drivers are much better trained and the competitive pressure is higher.

“In Formula 2, you’re in first place today and 14th tomorrow. [Lewis] Hamilton or [Nico] Rosberg used to win 70 percent of all races.

“When [Michael] Schumacher came to us [Benetton in 1991], he still lacked experience. We first sent Fernando [Alonso] to Minardi.

“[Max] Verstappen didn’t even have a driver’s license when he started at Toro Rosso.”

Reflecting on his nine-race cameo with Williams in Abu Dhabi, Colapinto argued that he has done a “pretty good job” overall after his unexpected promotion to a race seat.

He told media including PlanetF1.com: “It was very exciting. It was my dream come true.

“And since I started in Monza, I knew a lot of things had to happen and I had to learn a lot and I had to keep moving forward.

“And I think when you look at the bigger picture that doesn’t happen many times in F1. You are as good as your last race and I think that’s how Formula 1 works.

“Looking at the bigger picture, I think I did a pretty good job. I tried to maximise the opportunity that Williams gave me. It was an incredible chance and I think something I respect a lot.

“James [Vowles, team principal] and Sven [Smeets, sporting director], everyone in the team, put the confidence and the trust to give me a seat and to give me that opportunity.

“I think Vegas was quite tough. Being tough on me, I think, it was a pretty big mistake going for it in the last lap in quali, trying to put the car in Q3.

“That’s where I look back and I just think that some mistakes could have been avoided, but I think looking at the overall picture and the experience was my dream come true. Very excited to see where the future departs.”

Read next: SPY SHOT: Franco Colapinto spotted in Flavio Briatore meeting after latest Williams update