The Alpine team will completely change its image in 2027, but the driver lineup will remain unchanged. Alpine announced the extension of Franco Colapinto’s contract for the 2027 season. Pierre Gasly, who had previously signed a longer contract, will also remain with the team.
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Franco Colapinto will be an Alpine driver in the 2027 season, the team announced in a press release. It states that the Argentine signed a one-year contract. His partner will remain Pierre Gasly, who has a contract with Alpine until the end of the 2028 season. Alpine is therefore not changing the lineup, as they also had no other real options to consider. Based on rumors that appeared in recent months, Flavio Briatore waited with the decision regarding the second driver until other transfer moves were resolved. Alpine was reportedly interested in Fernando Alonso, and Briatore previously suggested he was waiting for decisions regarding Verstappen and Russell, as that could open various transfer options. There were no major moves among the top drivers, so Alpine and Colapinto were stuck with each other.
The Argentine made his F1 debut in the second half of the 2024 season with Williams. For the 2025 season, he moved to Alpine, where he became a full-time driver from the seventh round. Initially, I considered Colapinto a typical pay-driver, who is in F1 because of his sponsors, which was very important for Alpine. Last year he scored no points, regularly losing to Gasly, who single-handedly carried the entire Alpine team. This year Colapinto still loses to Gasly, but he has shown good form several times, scored quite a few points, and advanced to Q3. Alpine prepared a better car, so the drivers can often fight for points (especially at the start of the year), and Colapinto delivered really solid results. His main advantage remains his sponsors and a huge number of fans from Argentina (there are even possibilities for an F1 race in that country), but with such sporting form, his staying in the team is fully logical. I expect that next year Alpine will gain even more financially, as Colapinto’s popularity grows, so additional sponsors will appear. The chances of the Argentine GP returning will also increase.
Remember that from 2027 the title sponsor of the French team will be the fashion house Gucci under a lucrative deal. From 2027, the full name of this team will be “Gucci Racing Alpine Formula One Team.” Its image and color scheme will also change completely – Details. It was precisely because of Gucci and their money that the option to bring a more well-known driver to the team appeared, but as we can see, Alpine did not manage to do this (the only option was Alonso).
Expected F1 team lineups for the 2027 season according to CyrkF1
Recent announcements regarding the contracts of Albon, Sainz, Verstappen, and Colapinto suggest that there will be minimal changes in team lineups for the 2027 season. Personally, I expect only one change, but of course, there could be more. Below you can see my predicted lineups for 2027. I have bolded the names of drivers who have already been officially confirmed by teams or where it is a formality (Bearman or Stroll). Only a few spots remain open.
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I expect that nothing will change in the Red Bull camp for the 2027 season. Nikola Kolow will not debut in F1 yet; Bulgaria will have its first driver at the earliest in 2028. Fernando Alonso will remain for his last F1 season at Aston Martin (I have predicted his last season several times, but he does not leave). The only change will concern the second seat at Haas. Esteban Ocon will leave Formula 1, but who will replace him is a mystery, as several candidates are being tested.
Mercedes – Antonelli and Russell
Ferrari – Hamilton and Leclerc
McLaren – Norris and Piastri
Red Bull – Verstappen and Hadjar
Racing Bulls – Lawson and Lindblad
Alpine – Gasly and Colapinto
Haas – Bearman and someone from the group: Hirakawa, Fornaroli, Camara, and Doohan
Audi – Bortoleto and Hulkenberg
Williams – Sainz and Albon
Aston Martin – Alonso and Stroll
Cadillac – Bottas and Perez
More changes, mainly in teams from the second half of the grid, will take place in 2028. Freddie Slater should then replace Hulkenberg at Audi, and I also expect some young driver at Cadillac in place of one of the veterans. If Alonso decides to leave F1, the most interesting question will be the identity of his successor, as there is no obvious candidate (maybe Piastri or Sainz). The lineups of the four top teams may remain unchanged, as most drivers have long contracts there.
The article where you can find full F1 team lineups for the 2027 season along with the contract lengths of individual drivers can be found by clicking this link.
