Franco Colapinto would be ‘very foolish’ to do one thing after Cadillac signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

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Franco Colapinto is fighting for his future in Formula 1, but he has now seen two of Alpine’s potential replacements in Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez sign for Cadillac.

Just six seats are now up for grabs on the 2026 F1 grid, with Alpine yet to announce who will partner with Pierre Gasly. Mercedes’ George Russell and Andrea Kimi, plus Red Bull ace Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar are also currently out of contract.

Cadillac confirmed the signings of Bottas and Perez this Tuesday to end the debate about who will lead the General Motors outfit onto the grid in the 2026 F1 season. Alpine had held talks with Bottas and Perez before they joined Cadillac, with Colapinto frequently struggling.

Alpine promoted Colapinto from his reserve driver role to replace Jack Doohan ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in May. But the 22-year-old has not scored a point after eight rounds, so Alpine held talks with Perez and Bottas about possibly taking over this year.

Franco Colapinto would be ‘foolish’ to feel safe at Alpine after Cadillac signed Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

Bottas held talks with Alpine before signing for Cadillac, but the 36-year-old Finn preferred a deal with the GM entry from an early stage in their negotiations. Cadillac excited Perez from an early stage in their discussions, too, as the 35-year-old Mexican likes their entire project.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine 2025 F1 driver Franco Colapinto? Everything you need to know

But Andrew Benson believes Colapinto would be “very foolish” to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Cadillac signing two of Alpine’s potential replacements. While Bottas and Perez are now off the market, Benson would be very surprised if Alpine retain Colapinto for 2026.

Benson said on The BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast: “I think if he is, he’s a very foolish boy. I don’t think he’s keeping that Alpine drive.”

Colapinto was on Cadillac’s radar, given the doubts surrounding his future at Alpine. Yet the American team favoured the experience that Bottas and Perez bring, rather than taking the risk of signing a rookie or a racer with very little experience in Formula 1 like the Argentine.

Alpine still have options to replace Franco Colapinto in the 2026 F1 season

Colapinto will no doubt feel slightly relieved that Cadillac have signed Bottas and Perez, after Alpine explored signing the Finn and Mexican as potential replacements for the Argentine in 2025. But the Buenos Aires native would be naive to feel he will be safe in the seat for 2026.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Bottas and Perez were not Alpine’s only options to replace Colapinto next season, but rather their most likely options for 2025 if executive adviser Flavio Briatore decided against offering reserve driver Paul Aron his Formula 1 debut or giving Doohan a second chance in the A525.

Alpine are now monitoring Tsunoda’s situation at Red Bull, with the Japanese racer facing an uncertain future after scoring just seven points in the 12 rounds since he replaced Lawson in March. Red Bull are expected to release Tsunoda after failing to score in the last seven races.

With Bottas and Perez signing for Cadillac, Alpine are now Mick Schumacher’s last chance to return to F1 in 2026, as well. The former Haas driver remains on the Enstone natives’ radar, but Briatore is interested in Alpine signing Alex Palou as he explores their potential options.