Colapinto to Stay at Alpine for 2027, Sources Say

Franco Colapinto’s future at Alpine for the 2027 Formula 1 season appears increasingly secure, according to paddock sources, with an official announcement widely expected before the summer break. The 23-year-old Argentine has undergone a marked transformation over the course of 2026, moving from a driver once regarded as high-ceiling but inconsistent to a reliable points scorer alongside teammate Pierre Gasly. For a team assessing its 2027 line-up, that shift in form is proving difficult to ignore.

A Season Built on Momentum

Colapinto’s rise has been steady rather than sudden. Miami marked his first genuine points finish of the year, while Canada delivered what many in the paddock consider his breakthrough weekend. Monaco maintained that form, a result made more notable given Gasly was widely tipped to dominate on a circuit that traditionally favours him. Barcelona followed with further evidence of race pace, before Silverstone produced the standout drive of his season so far — a climb from 19th on the grid to 9th at the flag, gaining ten places over the course of the race and securing a double points finish for Alpine at its home event.

Colapinto himself has been candid about the competition, acknowledging that Racing Bulls have looked stronger over recent weekends. Even so, the broader trajectory is difficult to dispute: a driver who once needed protecting through difficult weekends is now capitalising on the misfortune of others, a shift that speaks to growing race craft and composure under pressure. That evolution, sources note, has taken place in under four months — precisely the kind of profile that tends to simplify a team principal’s decision-making.

The Alpine Calculation

Speculation around Alpine’s 2027 driver line-up has intensified through the summer, but the prevailing view in the paddock — consistent since Monaco — is that both Gasly and Colapinto will be retained. Colapinto, in particular, is understood to have given team principal Flavio Briatore little reason to reconsider his position: strong points, consistent pace, and a driver still on an upward curve at just 23 years old.

Persistent rumours linking Fernando Alonso to a return to Alpine have resurfaced again in recent weeks, but sources close to the situation are sceptical they will materially affect the 2027 line-up. Any Alonso involvement with the team, if it happens at all, is understood to be more likely in a non-driving, management-style capacity rather than a return to the cockpit. Those close to the story suggest the rumours may serve a different purpose altogether — applying pressure on Aston Martin to improve Alonso’s current contract terms, with Lawrence Stroll reportedly preparing a revised offer to keep him at the team.

Beyond the Cockpit: The Commercial Case

Colapinto’s value to Alpine is not confined to lap times. His popularity in Argentina has drawn comparisons to Juan Manuel Fangio, with a fan base that extends across the wider Spanish-speaking world — a commercial footprint few drivers on the current grid can match, with the possible exception of Sergio Pérez’s standing in Mexico. For a team looking to grow its brand presence in markets where Formula 1 is still expanding, that kind of reach carries real weight in any decision about the 2027 seat.

His technical adaptation to the 2026 regulation changes has also been notable, with sources suggesting he has adjusted more comfortably than in his rookie season. With further power unit changes due in 2027, a driver who adapts quickly to new machinery is considered a structural asset rather than simply a nice-to-have.

Team 43 and the Reffico Effect

Colapinto’s off-track profile has grown in parallel with his on-track results, largely through his personal brand platform, Team 43, and his relationship with Argentine-American actress Maia Reffico. The couple’s relationship, long visible but unconfirmed publicly, was directly acknowledged by Reffico during a recent Entertainment Tonight interview at an Amazon promotional event in Los Angeles — a moment that generated significant attention across Argentine social media.

Reffico’s own profile is rising quickly. She stars opposite Eva Longoria in Amazon Prime Video’s The Last Sunrise, releasing across more than 240 countries in late August, and has a role in Danny Ramirez’s directorial debut alongside a wider ensemble cast drawn from across Latin American entertainment. For Alpine, the overlap between Colapinto’s motorsport following and Reffico’s growing entertainment audience represents a cross-industry commercial opportunity that few rival teams could easily replicate.

A Maturing Profile

Colapinto’s growing off-track maturity was also on display at Silverstone, where he joined fellow drivers Kimi Antonelli, Alonso and Esteban Ocon alongside FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for the United Against Online Abuse initiative — an appearance that positioned him as a values-driven figure rather than simply a competitor on Sunday afternoons.

What Happens Next

Taken together, the sporting form, commercial reach and growing public profile point in one direction: Alpine confirming its 2027 line-up with both Gasly and Colapinto before the Hungarian Grand Prix, barring a significant shift such as a confirmed Alonso return. If that timeline holds, the paddock’s biggest speculative story of the summer will resolve quietly — and attention will shift from whether Colapinto stays in Formula 1 to how far his growing platform can take him.

Do you think Colapinto’s Alpine seat is secure? Subscribe to The Motion Report for weekly race previews, paddock news, and in-depth analysis throughout the 2026 F1 season.

▶ Watch the full analysis and prediction breakdown below: