Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto wrapped up a solid performance in the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday. Despite finishing once again far from the point-awarding positions, he showed pace, resilience and, most importantly, the ability to out-perform his teammate Pierre Gasly. 

With all the evidence in front of us and with just six races left in the season, a question is beginning to loom: has Colapinto built a strong enough case to be one of Alpine’s 2026 drivers?

A gutsy performance

Many didn’t know what to expect from Colapinto when he first arrived in F1 in August 2024, but the Argentine driver’s style is now well known. A valiant driver who isn’t afraid of taking chances, an attitude that was once again on display in Singapore.

Starting in 16th place in the Marina Bay street circuit, Colapinto was quick off the line and took advantage of his positioning on the inside first corner to pass Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. The Argentine driver would go on to also hold off Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda to get up to 13th.

The Argentine’s efforts, however, were not enough to earn points. Alpine called Colapinto into the pits on lap 15 and sent him off on a set of medium tires, a controversial call that saw him lose plenty of pace in the latter stages, finishing 16th.

“We tried our best to manage the tires but with a lot of degradation […] it made it difficult to hold off cars with fresher tires in the closing laps,” said the Argentine driver after the race. “It was not what we wanted but we just have to keep pushing and better results will come.”

Alpine F1 Managing Director Steve Nielsen praised Colapinto, saying the team had the Argentine pushing hard after his first-lap gains to distance himself from the cars behind, who were expected to stop for tires much later than him.

“It required Franco to manage a long stint on mediums,” he said about the strategy. “It looked promising but he tailed off at the end as the tires degraded.”

Underlying work

However, there was more to Colapinto’s performance than meets the eye. The Singapore GP was the fourth time in the last five races that the Argentine has outperformed Gasly. The record now sits just 6-5 in favor of the Frenchman, who has competed in close to 150 Grand Prix’s more than Colapinto.

The Argentine driver has also considerably improved his performance during races. According to data analysis tracker Delta Data, the 22-year old is essentially on the same pace as the Frenchman when it comes to “clear air race pace,” that is, when racing without any car close in front. For context, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has been two tenths of a second quicker than teammate Lewis Hamilton in the same category.

Colapinto has also shown evidence of maturity to handle adversity. Talking with F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast earlier this week, the Argentine spoke of his relationship with Briatore. The Italian team manager was key in ensuring the Argentine’s to Alpine for 2025, but was also very critical of him in recent weeks.

“[Briatore] is hard on everyone,” Colapinto said. “His way of making the team work and getting  people motivated is sometimes harsh and can feel a bit too much if you don’t know him.”

The Argentine driver admitted having learned a lot from the Italian, who managed the careers of greats such as Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Spain’s Fernando Alonso.

“He made me stronger mentally and I do believe that years like this will make a difference, when things start to get better and when we start to win […]. I’m very grateful for the opportunity he gave me, but also for all this process that we are going through,” Colapinto said.

The Argentine could also prove an advantage for Alpine come 2026. Next year will be the first for the team as a Mercedes engine customer, with Renault withdrawing as a supplier from the sport after limited results. 

While most of the structure will remain the same, Colapinto’s experience with the German brand after his tenure with Williams in 2024 could prove a key asset, as the only driver in their current line up that has previously raced Mercedes power units.