Franco Colapinto is struggling to perform at Alpine in 2025. He is not coping with the pressure since coming into the seat six races into the season.
Flavio Briatore had been pushing to get the Argentine into the A525 since he signed him from Williams back in 2024. He got his wish after the Miami GP, as Jack Doohan was dropped after six races.
The Aussie failed to score a point for Alpine, with two heavy accidents costing the team severe financial damage. Colapinto was drafted in on an alleged five-race deal to steady the ship, having impressed at Williams as Logan Sargeant’s replacement last season.
However, things are not working out for the 21-year-old in Enstone. Colapinto crashed immediately on debut at Imola and has yet to score a point in his first three races with the team.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
186 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
176 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
137 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
111 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
94 |
| 6 |
Lewis Hamilton |
71 |
| 7 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
48 |
| 8 |
Alexander Albon |
42 |
| 9 |
Isack Hadjar |
21 |
| 10 |
Esteban Ocon |
20 |
| 11 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
16 |
| 12 |
Lance Stroll |
14 |
| 13 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
12 |
| 14 |
Pierre Gasly |
11 |
| 15 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
10 |
| 16 |
Oliver Bearman |
6 |
| 17 |
Liam Lawson |
4 |
| 18 |
Fernando Alonso |
2 |
| 19 |
Gabriel Bortoleto |
0 |
| 20 |
Jack Doohan |
0 |
| 21 |
Franco Colapinto |
0 |
Doohan was quicker than Colapinto on average in qualifying, in comparison to teammate Pierre Gasly. As the team sit bottom of the constructors’ championship, the Argentine needs to find form or risk dropping off the grid.
Colapinto returned to the factory rather than take a break ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. It shows how desperate he is to keep his F1 seat, as rumours begin to swirl about who may replace him.
Sergio Perez is not an option for Alpine to replace Franco Colapinto
As Colapinto fails to deliver the results, Alpine have been linked with several drivers over the past few weeks as they could replace him come the British GP. One of those drivers is Sergio Perez.
The Mexican is looking for a way back into F1 after losing his seat at Red Bull last year. Perez has held talks with Alpine as he weighs up his options for 2026.
The 35-year-old brings huge commercial value for the Enstone team with his sponsors and North American fanbase. As per a report from Motorsport.com, Briatore is ‘less definitive’ in Colapinto’s future, with Perez a possible candidate to join the team this season.
However, talks that the Mexican’s move to Alpine is imminent are ‘understood to spring from one media outlet making an intuitive guess’, based on the fact that Briatore does not shy away from accepting more funds for his team.
Perez is not an option to replace Colapinto in 2025, or even 2026, for that matter. ‘He is believed to be focusing on making his comeback with Cadillac‘, with the 35-year-old being heavily linked with the sport’s 11th team since their application was approved.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
Who could replace Franco Colapinto at Alpine if he fails to deliver the results?
Colapinto is entering a ‘critical phase’ ahead of the Canadian GP as he battles to stay on the grid. He knows he must produce a strong weekend in Montreal as several drivers are lined up to replace him.
Reserve driver Paul Aron has been conducting TPC tests in recent weeks. F1 fans believe Briatore is readying the Estonian to potentially replace Colapinto.
But Alpine could also sign Mick Schumacher as their next driver. The German is impressing for the team in WEC and has been eyeing a return to F1 since his exit in 2022.
In theory, Doohan could also step back into the car after the Enstone outfit demoted him back to a reserve role. However, ‘hardly anyone’ at Alpine thinks Doohan will return to a race seat after losing his spot after six races.
