What Alpine told Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas about Franco Colapinto before they joined Cadillac instead

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Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas both held talks with Alpine before signing with Cadillac for 2026. They were seen as possible replacements for Franco Colapinto.

Pierre Gasly is under contract and has scored all 20 of the team’s points this year, making him a precious asset. Colapinto, on the other hand, has struggled to completely justify Flavio Briatore’s decision to axe Jack Doohan in the early part of the season.

Currently 20th in the championship, Colapinto is on a short-term deal and has appeared the most vulnerable driver on the current grid. The experience of Perez and Bottas appealed to Alpine after seeing young drivers toil.

Even though they will race with highly-rated Mercedes power units next year, the team have projected an image of chaos that has hurt their standing in the F1 driver market. In addition to the rapid-fire driver changes, there has been an alarming turnover in leadership staff.

Franco Colapinto is deeply embedded in Alpine and could keep seat for 2026

A report from ESPN confirms that Perez and Bottas were ‘serious’ options for Alpine. Briatore made an approach to both drivers, but the moves were complex.

There was talk earlier in the summer that Alpine made an offer to Bottas, who has been working for Mercedes as a reserve, to fill the seat immediately. But he and Perez shared the same ‘concern’.

Alpine told the duo that they couldn’t guarantee a ‘speedy decision’ because it would be ‘difficult’ to remove Colapinto. The Argentine has brought multiple sponsors to the team, and those contracts would potentially be compromised.

• READ MORE: Franco Colapinto posts two-word reaction to Sergio Perez signing for Cadillac F1 in 2026

In this context, there was a risk of delays that would cost Perez and Bottas a seat elsewhere. Cadillac considered at least four other drivers for their coveted vacancies.

Now, one source ‘with knowledge of Alpine’s thinking’ believes that there’s a ‘decent chance’ Colapinto stays for 2026. That would certainly be a surprising turnaround.

The consensus just days ago was that Colapinto’s time was up at Alpine, and that he’d be lucky to make it to the finale in Abu Dhabi. He could suddenly be in line for a new contract.

Franco Colapinto still needs to see off one threat at Alpine

Clearly, Colapinto is the big winner of Cadillac signing Perez and Bottas, aside from the two drivers who have just received a second chance. But his future isn’t secure just yet.

Reserve driver Paul Aron is still a threat to Colapinto. One report claimed that they could swap places at the ‘tail end’ of the season.

In a nightmare scenario, Colapinto fuelled speculation by crashing during the summer break in a Pirelli tyre test. He has made it to Zandvoort, and he has the opportunity to lock down the seat by displaying a tangible improvement.