Colapinto at Alpine in 2025, much more than just a rumor?

Lewis Hamilton who signs at Ferrari From February, dinosaurs like Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas or Sergio Perez who we will (probably) not see again on the grid, between five and six rookies lined up from the start in 2025, Esteban Ocon who will evolve at Haas et Carlos Sainz in Williams…you thought the silly season had been particularly fast-paced this year? We may not have seen the last of our surprises yet!

What started out as a barely believable rumor has become solid news over the days. Alpine, who nevertheless announced his duo of drivers for 2025 by confirming Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan, would have entered the dance to try to recruit Franco Colapinto for next season!

Alpine enters the dance for Colapinto

How, you might ask? The Australian, from the academy of the arrowed A, could indeed be the great sacrifice in history. In absolute terms, there would probably be no problem in composing in this way. BecauseAlpine is led by Flavio Briatore, among others, and Jack Doohan himself is managed by someone close to the Italian.

The idea behind this maneuver would be quite simple. At a time when the stable based in enstone wants to be more and more pragmatic, hence its decision to become an engine customer rather than continue to produce its own at Viry-Châtillon from 2026, the idea being to be able to take advantage of the financial windfall and support specific to Franco Colapinto. It was enough to see the craze around the Argentinian in Brazil, with dozens of supporters climbing onto the pit lane grids to catch a glimpse of their compatriot, to understand the Colapintomania.

Franco Colapinto showed good abilities in the dry, a little less in the rain in Brazil. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Argentines, who love sports and have a great history with the F1, were eagerly awaiting the return of a young national driver and are now showing all the enthusiasm that characterizes them, and so what if it's a bit too much! The big national companies have organized themselves around him, and this is how he managed to recover the place of a Logan sargeant in trouble at Williams in Monza last September.

Behind, the 21-year-old kid has assumed on the track, entering the points twice (8th in Baku, 10th in Austin) and finishing at worst 12th in the Grands Prix he has completed. Only the double crash at Interlagos has tarnished his copy for the moment. But not enough forAlpine does not change his mind and decides to abandon the track. This is obviously excellent news for Franco and for Bullet Sport Management, the agency co-founded by the French Nicolas Minassian and the Englishman Jamie Walter-Campbell.

Red Bull, a tough opposition

There are, however, some pitfalls on the road leading Colapinto to Enstone. First, the latter is under contract as a reserve driver at Williams, and James Vowles, the team principal, will not let him go without compensation. The Grove team would like around 20 million euros to release its protégé from his contract, it which does not have an immediate place in its team due to the presence of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz from 2025.

The other black point for Alpineis that Red Bull has taken a head start because it has been interested in the case since Brazil. Christian Horner even went to the Williams hospitality to discuss this with James Vowles. The Briton would like to replace the financial windfall provided by Sergio Pérez, with the envelope brought by Argentina to support Colapinto.

Another unique find 💫💫💫💫
Just a few weeks to study and prepare the roads but also some home insurance that you can go to Americaaaaaaaaa 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷🥹😄🤧 pic.twitter.com/JrojQ4VnsP

— Franco Colapinto (@FranColapinto) September 24, 2024

Problem? Red Bull will only take him if they can buy out his contract, and would not accept a loan because they do not want to develop him only to lose him later. This may be whereAlpine has a move to make. The French team, which is no longer really one, would not be against a loan, which would allow Williams not to give him up, to make him progress elsewhere, and to possibly get him back even more mature in the future.

For now, therefore, Franco Colapinto does not have a seat for 2025, but could well end up at Red Bull or at Alpine. Jack Doohan, for his part, has signed a contract but does not yet know whether or not he will be able to honour it, while the brand with the red bull would be ready to disavow its youth sector which is nevertheless performing, with Liam Lawson who would end up at Racing Bulls and potentially not at Red Bull, and Isack Hadjar who could have to wait a year in reserve if the Argentinian was chosen by Horner.

Helmut Marko, for his part, obviously does not agree with all this, which once again pits him against Christian Horner. If the Red Bull project is necessarily more attractive for Colapinto, that ofAlpine is perhaps the most easily achievable. Contacted by us, the A fléché confirmed that its pilot duo had already been announced.

ALSO READ > Franco Colapinto at Red Bull in 2025? Our information on the file