Nielsen says Colapinto’s Alpine future rests on merit as 2027 decision looms

Colapinto’s Alpine case remains open

Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen has made clear that Franco Colapinto’s future with the team will be judged strictly on performance, with the Argentinian’s current contract due to expire at the end of the year.

The picture is more encouraging this season. Alpine sit fifth in the Teams’ Championship on 60 points, with Pierre Gasly contributing 42 and Colapinto adding 18 after scoring on five occasions. That improvement has sharpened the focus on whether Colapinto has done enough to earn a place alongside Gasly for 2027, a theme also explored in our recent coverage of Nielsen’s view on Colapinto’s Alpine future.

Nielsen: ‘Everybody wants more’

Asked during the British Grand Prix weekend whether Colapinto had already proved he deserved to stay, Nielsen struck a balanced tone rather than offering any guarantee.

“Well, everybody wants more,” Nielsen said. “I think Franco is a driver that has been a slow starter, dare I say it. He’s getting better. He’s produced some good runs this year already. Miami was good. China was good. He’s improving.”

Nielsen’s message was direct: Colapinto is in the seat on merit, but the decision will remain conditional.

“So I think he’s there on merit and when the time comes, we’ll make the decisions. If he’s good enough, he’ll stay, and if he’s not, then there’s a better option. That’s just Formula 1.”

Progress against Gasly

Nielsen pointed to race consistency as the clearest area of development, particularly Colapinto’s ability to stay closer to Gasly.

“I think his consistency, particularly in races, is a lot better than it was and his ability to hang on to Pierre,” he explained. “He did a little bit of that last year, but our car last year was so bad it was difficult to separate wheat from the chaff. But I think this year there’s been a few times where he’s been a match for Pierre and that’s good to see.”

Alpine cannot relax in the midfield fight

Nielsen also warned that Alpine’s fifth place remains far from secure, with Racing Bulls closing the gap to just one point after Silverstone.

“We’re not even halfway through [the season],” he said before the race. “There’s no way we can relax.”

With Racing Bulls, Aston Martin and Williams all referenced in the development battle, Nielsen underlined that Alpine are taking nothing for granted. For Colapinto, that means every race remains part of both a team fight and a personal audition.