Guenther Steiner says Franco Colapinto ‘will be gone’ by the summer break if he doesn’t improve

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Guenther Steiner has suggested that Alpine will drop Franco Colapinto during this season’s summer break if he doesn’t improve on his performances from last season.

Franco Colapinto was one of only two drivers who failed to score a point in 2025, alongside the man he replaced at Alpine, Jack Doohan.

The Argentinian came agonisingly close to ending that pointless streak at the Dutch Grand Prix last year, finishing 11th and beating teammate Pierre Gasly by six positions.

What do you expect from Franco Colapinto in the 2026 F1 season?

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Alpine’s new partnership with Mercedes appears to have put them close to the front of the midfield, meaning they should be fighting for points far more often than last season.

However, that puts more pressure on Colapinto, and Guenther Steiner thinks he could be in trouble, and may already know who will replace him if he doesn’t get up to speed quickly enough.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Franco Colapinto from F1 stats to height

Guenther Steiner thinks Paul Aron could replace Franco Colapinto if he doesn’t improve in 2026

Steiner was asked on The Red Flags Podcast whether Colapinto will still be in an Alpine seat at the end of the season if his performances are of the same level as last year.

He said: “He will not be there after the summer season [break].

“If we see the first half of the season not performing, he will be gone.

Who should Alpine replace Franco Colapinto with if he fails to live up to expectations this season?

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“Maybe this is the difficult bit, who will come instead of him because there is not [many options].

“Yeah, I think they will [bring in Aron] at that point because there is not anybody out there with experience except Alonso, so unless that all works out as you suggested, but otherwise it will be Paul Aron.”

Asked about the prospect of Kevin Magnussen returning, Steiner continued: “I think he’s good now with Formula 1. I think he quite enjoys what he’s doing now.”

READ MORE: Who is Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron? All to know from age to racing stats

Franco Colapinto responds after Flavio Briatore’s Drive to Survive dressing down

When Doohan was under the most pressure last year, Colapinto and Aron went head-to-head in private tests to see who would be the better option to step up if the Australian driver’s results didn’t improve.

The Argentinian eventually got the nod, although Paul Aron is still a looming threat behind the scenes.

Aron is incredibly highly-rated among Alpine staff and is the most senior of the team’s reserve drivers, with only Yuki Tsunoda really offering an alternative from outside of their stable.

Last season, Colapinto was constantly trying to impress Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore to keep his Formula 1 dream alive.

This was captured on Drive to Survive, with Briatore telling Colapinto ‘you are the problem’, leaving the 22-year-old visibly upset.

Addressing his appearance in the latest season of Drive to Survive at the Australian Grand Prix, via Motorsport, Colapinto said: “I haven’t watched it, to be honest. I don’t really consume that too much.

“Especially when you drive, and you’re in the paddock, you live and know everything that happens.

“It’s a great show, and it brought a lot of fans to the sport, and for that, we are all very grateful for the extra amount of people who kind of became fans after watching the series.

“Flav has been, with me, very helpful in every way, and he gave me a great opportunity, and I try to maximise it.

“I don’t even know when it was filmed, but probably he was right at the time, you know? When he shouts at me, there is normally a reason for it.