Franco Colapinto issues Alpine future update as Bottas replacement rumours swirl
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has insisted that he is “not very concerned” that he could be replaced by Valtteri Bottas ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
It comes after the Argentine’s latest mistake in qualifying ahead of today’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Franco Colapinto ‘not concerned’ about Alpine future despite Valtteri Bottas interestAdditional reporting by Thomas Maher
After an impressive cameo with Williams in the second half of last season, Colapinto was signed by Alpine as a reserve driver ahead of the F1 2025 campaign.
He was promoted to a race seat following May’s Miami Grand Prix, replacing Jack Doohan on an initial five-race contract.
Colapinto has largely struggled since becoming Pierre Gasly’s latest Alpine team-mate, finishing no higher than 13th across his first five appearances for the team.
He will start today’s British Grand Prix from last place after spinning off during Saturday’s qualifying session at Silverstone.
Franco Colapinto vs Pierre Gasly: Alpine head-to-head scores for F1 2025👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
As reported by PlanetF1.com last week, Colapinto is set to remain in place on a race-by-race basis as Alpine keeps its options open going forward.
Bottas, the 10-time F1 race winner currently serving as Mercedes’ reserve driver, has emerged as a potential candidate to replace Colapinto during the F1 2025 season.
PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Alpine recently opened talks with Bottas, who has been heavily linked with the new Cadillac team for F1 2026, with a view to another mid-season driver change.
Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com at Silverstone, Colapinto insisted that he is not concerned about being replaced ahead of the next race at Spa later this month – yet conceded that “talks” are “always” taking place.
Asked if he is worried that he will not be in the car for the Belgian Grand Prix, he said: “I’m not very concerned.
“Of course, there is always talks. I just need to keep working and trying to help the team to improve the car.
“Today was not ideal. I think we did some good steps, but definitely not what we wanted.”
Colapinto went on to claim that he and Alpine have “found a lot of things” to help his understanding of the A525 car, but conceded that he remains off the pace of Gasly, who will start today’s race from eighth place after an impressive qualifying performance.
He said: “We found a lot of things, I think, this weekend to make me feel a bit better with the car, closer to Pierre.
“But of course, we are still far [apart on the grid]. We need to do a couple of steps for the next races.”
Gasly called Colapinto’s latest Q1 exit “a shame” and declared that it is “always” preferable for teams to have two cars close together on the grid to provide more strategic options.
Asked directly by PlanetF1.com how important it is to have a team-mate close to his pace, Gasly replied: “It’s always better.
“I don’t want to say too much. I think it’s obvious that it’s always better strategy-wise.
“I think it’s a shame because Franco did a good job during the weekend.
“I don’t really know what happened in the end, but it’s always better to have the two cars [up there] and force the others into strategy that may favour you, but it is what it is.
“Honestly, at the moment I’m in the top 10.
“We know we have fast cars around and we’ll have to fight hard tomorrow.”
More on Franco Colapinto and Alpine from PlanetF1.comColapinto’s latest disappointing qualifying performance comes after his hopes of holding on to his Alpine seat appeared to receive a boost on the eve of the British Grand Prix weekend with the addition of Latin American telecommunications brand Claro as a personal sponsor.
The branding of Claro, a long-term backer of former Red Bull, McLaren and Sauber driver Sergio Perez, will appear on Colapinto’s crash helmet and cap going forward.
Colapinto’s arrangement with Claro comes after Carlos Slim, the billionaire owner of parent company América Móvil, left the door open to a potential deal with the Argentine last year.
Mr Slim confirmed at the time that any deal with Colapinto would be independent of, and have no impact on, his relationship with Perez.
Perez was left without a seat for the F1 2025 seat after cutting ties with Red Bull last December, with Liam Lawson initially taking his place alongside Max Verstappen.
The Mexican has been strongly linked with an F1 2026 comeback, with a report in April claiming that Perez was in ‘advanced talks’ with Cadillac.
Perez has more recently emerged as a potential option for Alpine after it was claimed that the 35-year-old has held initial negotiations with the Enstone team.
PlanetF1.com understands that Perez’s talks with Alpine are limited to a F1 2026 deal with the veteran not understood to be an immediate threat to Colapinto’s place.
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