Alpine are one of a handful of teams yet to settle on their driver line-up for 2026.
Eight vacant seats are remaining for the 2026 Formula 1 season, provided that no drivers with a contract for next year are released from their agreements early.
Mercedes, Cadillac and Racing Bulls still need to confirm both of their drivers for next year.
F1 Oversteer understands that Mick Schumacher is very confident of racing for Cadillac, with Sergio Perez most likely to be his teammate.
Mercedes are closing in on a deal for George Russell, and he’s expected to be joined by Andrea Kimi Antonelli once again.
2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Racing Bulls have to wait to see what Red Bull do with Yuki Tsunoda before they confirm their drivers, leaving the only other vacancy at Alpine.
Pierre Gasly has been superb this season and scored 100% of the team’s points after 14 races.
Gasly is already signed up for 2026, but Franco Colapinto doesn’t have the same luxury, having replaced Jack Doohan earlier in the year.
Flavio Briatore is now considering his options, and a driver he once described as ‘one of the best’ could end up finishing the season alongside Gasly at Alpine.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty ImagesAlpine could give Paul Aron his Formula 1 chance at the ‘tail end’ of the 2025 season
A report from ESPN has shared more details about Alpine’s stance on the Formula 1 driver market.
In an exclusive interview with F1 Oversteer, Alex Jacques suggested Colapinto has the toughest gig in F1, having only been placed on a race-by-race contract.
Alpine have been linked with Valtteri Bottas, although the Finn is also on Cadillac’s radar, but could once again get caught between two teams and end up racing for neither if things don’t go his way.
The report goes on to say that reserve driver Paul Aron could be given his chance to prove himself at the ‘tail end of the year’.
Aron finished third in the Formula 2 championship last year, behind Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, who are both proving that the best rookies are more than ready to race in F1.
However, ‘sources’ close to Alpine believe that Colapinto might end up staying with the team beyond this season, ‘regardless’ of whether his form improves.
Despite not scoring a point in his eight race weekends since replacing Doohan at Imola, it’s believed that the ‘importance of the money he brings’ could clinch the seat for the Argentine for 2026.
READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron? All to know from age to racing stats
How Franco Colapinto ranks among the 2025 Formula 1 grid
The summer break is a good time to evaluate how each driver has performed this season.
Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and George Russell have stood out at the top of the championship, but several other drivers deserve plenty of credit in slower cars.
The likes of Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg and Hadjar have all shown moments of brilliance, while Gasly fares well considering how difficult Alpine’s car is to drive.
Colapinto was only ranked above Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda following the Hungarian Grand Prix, highlighting the progress he needs to make to guarantee his place on the grid next year.
Whether Alpine want to gamble on a third rookie this year in Aron is yet to be seen.
However, some Alpine staff rate Aron higher than Colapinto and Doohan, which could make him a tantalising option for the final portion of the campaign.