Swiss outlet says F1 driver is set to lose his 2026 seat, despite huge financial backing

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The 2026 Formula 1 grid is gradually coming together, with many drivers already locked in for the season.

Last year’s driver market was busier than usual, resulting in a number of teams entering the current campaign with new lineups. And several drivers have contracts that stretch into 2026, when F1’s next rule changes will take effect.

While a few new deals have been signed this year, none of them involve drivers who are under immediate threat of losing their seats at the end of this season.

George Russell is expected to stay with Mercedes, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli is also likely to remain alongside him.

Cadillac are reportedly closing in on deals for Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, with an official announcement expected before the Dutch Grand Prix.

With those moves, only four seats remain open for the 2026 season, unless a team decides to make another late change like Red Bull did with Perez last year.

Three drivers linked to Red Bull are still waiting on their futures, while Alpine’s Franco Colapinto is also yet to learn his fate.

While Colapinto has financial backing behind him, it seems increasingly unlikely that he will hold onto his seat for 2026.

Franco Colapinto set to leave Alpine after the 2025 Formula 1 season

A report from the Swiss publication Blick has provided further information on the 22-year-old’s situation.

Alpine started the year with Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan as their driver line-up.

But with pressure already mounting on Doohan, Colapinto was brought in on loan from Williams over the winter break.

After six race weekends without a point, Doohan’s time came to an end, giving Colapinto his shot to impress.

Despite eight race weekends so far, Colapinto remains the only active driver yet to score a point this season.

The report claims Colapinto has around £14.7 million in sponsorship backing him, which is said to be what’s keeping him in place for now.

Blick adds that “after the finale in Abu Dhabi in December, at the latest, it’s over” for Colapinto, opening up another seat for 2026 and adding more intrigue to the ongoing driver market storylines.

• READ MORE: Cadillac are reportedly set to do what Red Bull never did for Sergio Perez

Alpine options for 2026 if Colapinto is sacked

Gasly is already locked in for 2026, but Colapinto’s place beside him is far from secure.

If he can start matching Gasly and put some points on the board, there might still be a path for him to make his case with Flavio Briatore.

Doohan remains part of the setup behind the scenes, but a return to racing seems unlikely given how things unfolded this year.

Paul Aron might get a look-in towards the end of 2025, but stepping into a struggling car just as regulations are about to change is not exactly an ideal debut scenario.

Bottas and Perez moving to Cadillac means fewer former drivers are available. It is not clear yet if names like Mick Schumacher or Zhou Guanyu will catch Alpine’s interest, or if someone from Red Bull’s reshuffling could come into play.