Alpine has decided Franco Colapinto's future for the second half of the F1 season: Reports

Franco Colapinto was signed by Alpine as their reserve driver ahead of the 2025 season. The Argentine was given a drive by Alpine as Jack Doohan’s replacement just a few races into the 2025 season. However, Colapinto hasn't fared well since his Alpine debut, with questions over his future with the team. But the latest reports suggest that the Argentine will continue with the team in the second half of the season.

F1 prodigy Colapinto burst onto the F1 season in 2024 as Williams signed the sensation as Logan Sargeant’s replacement midway through the season. With Carlos Sainz arriving at Williams, Colapinto was left without a seat for 2025, but was soon hired as a reserve driver by Alpine, and then as Doohan's replacement just six races into the season.

However, much like Jack Doohan, Franco Colapinto has failed to score a single point in the eight races he's driven for Alpine. The Argentine was initially only given a five-race contract by the team, which was followed by a race-by-race basis seat, showcasing Alpine’s lack of commitment towards Colapinto.

As the season inches towards the summer break, reports of Valtteri Bottas replacing Franco Colapinto started circling around the paddock. Alpine currently sits dead last in the standings with 20 points, all of which have been scored by Pierre Gasly.

F1 Grand Prix Of Hungary - Source: Getty

Going into the summer break, the question of Franco Colapinto’s future at Alpine remained uncertain. However, according to PlanetF1’s sources, the Valtteri Bottas rumors had no basis, and Colapinto will continue at the Enstone-based team for the second half of the 2025 season.

But nothing can be said about the 2026 season. The Argentine driver needs to step up his performance, find his feet at Alpine, and at least be at the same level as Pierre Gasly.

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Franco Colapinto's crash at the Hungaroring Pirelli F1 test

The 2025 Hungarian GP marked the beginning of the summer break. However, a few teams, including Alpine, volunteered for the Pirelli F1 test held at the Hungaroring a couple of days after the race in Budapest. On the second day of the test, on Wednesday (August 6), Franco Colapinto stepped into the Alpine A525.

During the test, the Argentine driver crashed while going into Turn 11, as he lost control of the car. Speaking about the crash, Mario Isola, head of Pirelli Motorsport, said,

“We have collected a lot of data, although it was a pity that we lost some of our potential mileage today when Colapinto went off the track, even though this was not in any way linked to the tyres.”

Colapinto was able to get out of the car safely, but left it in a badly damaged state and wasn't able to get back on the track.