One F1 driver has finally ‘received confirmation’ of his 2026 seat at the Mexican Grand Prix

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Four F1 drivers arrived at the Mexico City Grand Prix still unsure of where they’d be racing in 2026. Red Bull, Racing Bulls and Alpine still haven’t announced their line-ups.

Isack Hadjar is expected to join Red Bull, replacing Yuki Tsunoda as Max Verstappen’s teammate. Tsunoda’s only hope of staying on the grid is returning to Racing Bulls.

Tsunoda could partner Liam Lawson once again after previous stints together in 2023 and 2024. But Arvid Lindblad starred in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and his anticipated promotion means one of the two incumbents will lose their drive.

Meanwhile, Alpine have been choosing a teammate for Pierre Gasly. That battle came down to Franco Colapinto and reserve driver Paul Aron, both of whom featured in the opening practice session.

Alpine have told Franco Colapinto he’ll keep his seat for 2026

Colapinto ignored team orders at the end of the US GP, overtaking Gasly after being told to hold position. This was especially risky in the context of his uncertain future.

According to Swiss outlet Blick, Colapinto received a ‘good dressing down’ afterwards. He had to apologise to ‘the entire racing team’.

However, at the Mexican Grand Prix, the Argentine ‘received confirmation’ that he will retain his seat next year. Alpine may choose to make an announcement in Brazil, where he’ll have his biggest following of the year.

Colapinto outpaced Aron by half a second in practice, but it’s unclear if Flavio Briatore’s decision was communicated beforehand.

What will happen to Jack Doohan as Franco Colapinto stays at Alpine?

Having missed out on a seat once again, it now looks unlikely that former Mercedes junior Aron will find a place in F1. But Briatore is unpredictable and ruthless, so an in-season change next year couldn’t be ruled out.

Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan just six rounds into the 2025 season. The Australian was under the impression that he’d be back in the car if his replacement underperformed.

But even though Colapinto failed to score a point too, there was no such opportunity. Now, Doohan is in talks with Alpine’s rivals and looks likely to take on a third-driver role elsewhere.

Colapinto brings an enormous sponsorship package to Alpine, but it should be noted that his form has improved in recent races, where he’s outpaced Gasly on a consistent basis.