Alpine F1's Steve Nielsen: Talent, not money, sealed the deal for Franco Colapinto

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen says the team has extended Franco Colapinto's deal into 2026 after performances that increasingly matched team-mate Pierre Gasly

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen has shared details of the decision to extend Franco Colapinto's contract, which was announced ahead of practice 1 in Brazil.

The Argentinian driver will remain with the French team in 2026 alongside team-mate Pierre Gasly.

Colapinto joined Alpine on a multi-year deal ahead of the 2025 season as a reserve driver and replaced Jack Doohan in a full-time seat after six rounds.

"Yeah, I mean it's very difficult for any of the new drivers coming in, we've seen some come in and hit the ground running straight away and we've seen others come in and struggle a little bit," Nielsen explained to Sky Sports F1 in Brazil when asked why Colapinto was chosen over the competition, such as Paul Aron.

"Franco obviously did some races with Williams last year, substituted for Jack from Imola and struggled a bit to start with to be honest, and then gradually, gradually... We're lucky to have Pierre as a kind of a marker, an established driver and gradually Franco was able to up his game and take the fight to Pierre and in a car that's not as competitive as we would like to.

"But nonetheless, when you compare them to each other, he started doing a reasonable job and became comparable to Pierre, even quicker than Pierre on a few occasions and so ultimately that's what got him the seat."

Nielsen also confirmed that the team considered all available options for the 2026 seat, including those from outside its pool of drivers.

Steve Nielsen, Managing Director at Alpine F1

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

"To be honest, we had everybody on the table and a lot more drivers that have since gone elsewhere and gradually we iterated towards choosing Franco. We're happy with that, but anybody that was a possibility at some stage or another, we considered them."

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle suggested that some could argue that it could have been a financial decision to retain Colapinto for 2026, with the driver bringing in substantial sponsorship.

"You can't ignore the financials, of course, it plays a part in it, but ultimately we've got Franco on talent, and the fact that he brings the financial side is a happy accident."