Alpine Re-Sign Franco Colapinto for 2027 as Gucci Era Looms
Alpine have re-signed Franco Colapinto for the 2027 Formula 1 season, keeping the 23-year-old Argentine alongside French lead driver Pierre Gasly for a second straight year BBC Sport.
The announcement locks in one half of a line-up that has helped drag Alpine from the bottom of the constructors' championship — last in 2025 — to sixth after twelve races of the 2026 season. That turnaround is the story behind the contract.
Alpine's revival was engineered the hard way. The team effectively abandoned development of their 2025 car to concentrate on designing a fresh chassis for 2026's new engine rules, switching from the works Renault power unit — cancelled after 2025 — to customer Mercedes engines. The bet paid off. Gasly put an Alpine on the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix this season, his first rostrum finish with the team, though the result was briefly clouded when McLaren appealed against the stewards' decision to rescind two five-second penalties handed to Gasly for speeding in the pit-lane BBC Sport.
Colapinto's own 2026 highlight came in Canada, where he finished sixth — a career best BBC Sport. The result validated Alpine's decision to promote him from reserve duties midway through 2025, when he replaced Jack Doohan after the Australian was demoted following the opening six races of that season. Team principal Oliver Oakes confirmed Colapinto's original signing was on a multi-year deal Formula1.com.
The Argentine's path to a full-time seat was anything but linear. He made his F1 debut in 2024, driving half a season for Williams after the Grove team dropped American Logan Sargeant. Alpine then brought him in as reserve driver for 2025, with funding from Latin American sponsors playing a role in the decision BBC Sport.
What makes the 2027 confirmation carry extra weight is the name on the car. From the start of next season, Alpine will race as the Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team, the Italian fashion house arriving as title partner Alpine Media. A rebranded car, a Mercedes engine, and a settled driver pairing — Alpine are positioning themselves for something more ambitious than sixth place.
Executive adviser Flavio Briatore has said as much, setting out a target of fighting for titles in 2027 Formula1.com. Whether the machinery matches the ambition is a question the winter will answer. For now, Alpine have their drivers sorted, and Colapinto has the one thing every young racer wants: a seat that is his.
