Franco Colapinto has revealed that he is unsure whether he will remain in Formula 1 in 2026 amid growing speculation that Alpine has elected to retain him.
The Argentine has had a tough start to his life at the Anglo-French marque.
Drafted into the A525 only seven races into the season, Colapinto has struggled to get to grips with the car as quickly as the team would have liked him to.
As a result, with only four races remaining, the 22-year-old is yet to score a single point for the Enstone-based squad.
With the year slowly inching towards a conclusion, speculation is rife about Alpine’s driver line-up heading into 2026.
Colapinto’s team-mate Pierre Gasly penned a multi-year deal, with strong suggestions that Flavio Briatore is contemplating giving the Argentine a full season in the sport.
That said, heading into the Sao Paulo Grand Prix weekend, Colapinto was quick to quell rumours that he has been informed that he will be retaining his current drive.
“I don’t know. I’m going race by race and I’m trying to focus on this weekend,” he told media including Motorsport Week when asked about his future with Alpine.
“It’s a weekend, a track and a place that I just enjoy very much. And to be again in Formula 1 racing in Brazil for me is very special. So I can’t wait to go to the track.
“I think the future doesn’t really… I don’t really look at it too much.
“I want to stay fully focused on this season and try to finish better. We are now doing heavy effort and we will do the same effort as well to give them some results.”
Colapinto’s debut at Interlagos last year didn’t go exactly to plan. Driving for Williams, the 22-year-old suffered two hefty crashes in treacherous conditions on the Sunday.
This season, with the uncertainty of a race seat hanging over his head once again, Colapinto was adamant that he wanted to focus on rectifying his record at the track first.
“Last year was not easy for me and was not an enjoyment as I wanted,” he admitted.
“In the paddock and with the things that happened, it was quite tricky for me.
“So I just want to have a good weekend for them, to try to enjoy with the fans. And I know they did a big effort to come all the way to Brazil and I want to give them something nice.
“I’m trying not to speak much because I want to focus on this year.”
“We are not in a good position at the moment. We are not performing as we want and as we expect at this point of the year.
“It’s tricky for us to be motivated and to stay strong in the weather, but we are at the moment.
“That’s what I take from us as a team, back in Enstone, everyone here in the track, how much we are pushing, how motivated we are to stay when we are struggling that much.
“That’s for me the biggest part of this team.”
Alpine gremlins overshadowing Colapinto’s on-track progress
As the campaign approaches a conclusion, Alpine sits on the cusp of enduring its worst F1 result this decade.
With only 20 points on the board, all thanks to Gasly, the Anglo-French marque languishes 10th in the standings.
And while on a personal front Colapinto has been able to see tangible progress, he believes the A525 has fallen dramatically behind its rivals.
The Argentine concluded that the timing of his breakthrough with the car has left him a day late and a dollar short in terms of making any impression.
“It was very tricky at the start. The car was very difficult to drive,” he recalled.
“I think Imola was the easiest track for us. The track that the car felt the best in terms of balance and limitations. And then it started to get more and more difficult.
“I think it was a point of this year that was kind of a turnaround for us as a team.
“I worked a lot with the boys in the factory, with the engineers. We kind of figured out a way to make it more comfortable for me.
“And I think we, since then, have understood much more our limitations and where the issues were coming from.
“And to me, I’m feeling more comfortable with the car. I think race after race I’m feeling better.
“As a team we are working better as well. It’s of course improved, but we lost pace in the car. I think that our team threw a lot of upgrades. We lost that performance that we had.
“It feels tricky and harsh not being able to be close to the points at the moment when I feel that I’ve done big steps in terms of personal performance.
“We were working hard as a team to try and make it better, try to extract more pace of the car and I’m sure we’ll get there. Let’s see what we can do this year.”
READ MORE – Franco Colapinto casts Alpine vow amid 2026 F1 uncertainty
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