Under-pressure F1 driver will be absolutely thrilled that Cadillac are set to sign Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez

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As Cadillac nears an agreement for the two drivers that will lead their charge in the American constructors’ maiden season in F1, another driver on the grid is yet to find out how long his tenure in the sport will be.

Cadillac are set to sign Valtteri Bottas in the coming weeks, with the Finnish driver getting a second chance in F1 after leaving the grid at the end of the 2024 season following a three-year stint with Sauber.

Sergio Perez is the leading candidate to pair Bottas, with the experience of the two drivers being integral to the new constructors’ hopes of starting their F1 journey on the right foot and leading their pathway of development in years to come.

Crawford has also emerged as a candidate for Cadillac, due to his stature as an American driver. The American constructor would be pleased to field a driver of the same nationality as the team, as there are no US drivers currently on the grid following Logan Sargeant’s departure from Williams last season.

Alpine are reportedly waiting for confirmation from Cadillac before deciding on Franco Colapinto’s future

Speaking to the Argentine publication Carburando, Spanish journalist Jorge Peiro Soler touched upon how Alpine have been waiting for Cadillac’s announcement regarding the confirmation of Perez and Bottas’ seats at the team next season before confirming Colapinto’s future next year.

“I would expect it to take quite a while,” Soler said. “A good example is Russell’s contract renewal, which still hasn’t been finalised because there are many details, even though everyone thought it was already done.

“Personally, with Colapinto, I would take even more time because nobody really knows the timelines right now. It was assumed that Cadillac would announce Bottas and Checo Perez very soon at Monza.

“Once those two seats are confirmed, the picture might become a little clearer. As for Colapinto, I would wait until the last races, but there’s no certainty because F1 can change from one day to the next. You have to be patient and make sure he gets the best performance possible with Alpine.”

Colapinto replaced Jack Doohan on a five-race contract, as part of a larger multi-year loan from Williams deal that is expected to last around five years. The French constructor clearly has a plan for the young Argentine, evident in the long-standing contract that they approached him with.

Franco Colapinto hasn’t been able to show his potential in a struggling Alpine car during the 2025 season

Following the replacement of Sargeant with Colapinto at Williams after the Dutch Grand Prix last season, the young Argentine secured a couple of points finishes for the team in an impressive nine-race stint with the team.

He has been unable to pull off the same calibre of performances in back-marker machinery at the wheel of Alpine’s 2025 car, and his seat at the team is far from secured as we head into the final ten races of the 2025 season.

There is a chance that Alpine pull the plug on Colapinto before season-end, with the team keen to give their reserve driver, Paul Aron, an opportunity to show what he can do in the pinnacle of single-seater racing after his third-place finish in the Formula 2 championship last year.

There is also the possibility that Doohan makes a return to Alpine in favour of Colapinto. The Australian was given just six Grands Prix at the start of his rookie season to bring home some results before the Enstone-based team decided on replacing him.