Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly now face an ‘increasingly serious’ problem at Alpine

Follow us on Google Discover

Alpine are staring down the barrel at finishing last in the 2025 constructors’ standings after Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto failed to score a point over the last six rounds.

The Enstone natives are Formula 1’s basement boys so far this year, having only managed to score 20 points from the first 19 rounds of this term’s 24. Alpine also have Gasly to thank for securing all 20 of the team’s points so far this season, with Colapinto yet to get off the mark.

But Gasly scored his most recent point when the 29-year-old finished the Belgian Grand Prix in P10 at the end of July. The Frenchman’s average Grand Prix finish through the six rounds since visiting Spa has been P18, while Colapinto on average finished P16.3 over those races.

Now, Alpine are firmly looking at penning their worst finish in the F1 constructors’ standings since Renault rebranded the team prior to the 2021 season. Alpine had never finished lower than sixth place before 2025, but they are now 10th with a 28-point deficit to Haas in ninth.

Alpine face an ‘increasingly serious’ lack of spare engine parts ahead of Renault’s exit from F1

Alpine likely now need a repeat of Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s double podium in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, when the French stars capitalised on the wet conditions in Brazil to secure 33 of the team’s 65 points last year. Ocon’s P2 at Interlagos ended a six-race point-less run.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine’s 2026 Mercedes F1 engine deal

But Gasly and Colapinto, who replaced Jack Doohan in May after the Australian lasted seven races as Ocon’s replacement, will have to overcome Renault’s engine posing an ‘increasingly serious’ issue for Alpine. As well as the Renault unit’s power deficit, spare parts are ‘scarce’.

That is according to Auto Motor und Sport, which reports that the Renault F1 engine factory in Viry-Chatillon does not have riches of resources to provide Alpine with spare parts ahead of the French manufacturer closing its power unit division at the end of the 2025 F1 season.

Also, the usual ageing of Alpine’s Renault E-Tech R.E.25 1.6L V6 t engine is costing Colapinto and Gasly a 14hp deficit to when the power units were new before the 2025 F1 season. That is also on top of Alpine’s Renault engine losing 0.4s every lap due to its energy management.

Alpine will be a Mercedes engine customer from the 2026 F1 power unit regulations

Renault announced in September 2024 that it had decided to stop building power units and that it would not be designing a new engine for F1’s 2026 regulations. So, executive adviser Flavio Briatore secured a deal for Alpine to buy Mercedes engines from the 2026 F1 season.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and aero regulations

Gasly will guide Alpine into F1’s new regulatory cycle, but Colapinto will hope Renault’s lack of spare engine parts does not cost him a chance to convince Briatore to re-sign him for the 2026 season. The Argentine is currently without a contract to remain in Enstone next term.

It is said that Colapinto may have convinced Alpine to retain him for 2026, as the 22-year-old has recently been able to match and beat Gasly more often. Including Colapinto’s P11 in the Dutch Grand Prix five rounds ago, he has finished ahead of Gasly in three Grands Prix to two.