Franco Colapinto returns to action in F1 with little certainty over his future

Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto is set to return to action with Formula 1 as the world’s premier racing series comes back from its summer break for the Dutch Grand Prix, held at Zandvoort this Sunday. However, while the 23-year-old has come a long way since last season, securing an impressive 19 points in the 2026 F1 season with the Alpine F1 Team, his spot in the series isn’t yet on firm ground. Colapinto’s contract with Alpine expires in December, and while talks about an extension are reportedly underway, no announcement has been made yet.  The Argentine driver will undoubtedly be happy after his former team, Williams F1, announced extensions for Alex Albon and — especially — Carlos Sainz, who was reportedly among Alpine’s potential targets. However, Colapinto looked eager to go back racing ahead of the weekend. “I’m really excited to get back racing after a well-needed summer break,” he told the Alpine F1 media team. “I started my holidays a bit later than everyone else as I was finishing the Pirelli tire test in Hungary, but after that I was able to properly relax and recharge my batteries after the really intense first half of the season.” Alpine F1 did little to help the case for the Argentine racer’s future after confirming that the team will only bring performance updates to the Dutch Grand Prix for his teammate, Pierre Gasly. It’s something that could affect Colapinto’s race, as the Argentine driver is aware of. “If everything works perfectly [for Gasly], it will be a bit of a painful weekend for me, but I will do my best so that, together, we can try to maximize the package we have. I hope it works well and that we can take good steps heading into Monza and the next part of the season,” he said during the Dutch Grand Prix media day. Banked turns won’t help Alpine The Dutch F1 Grand Prix, which will depart the F1 calendar after 2026, is held at the Circuit Zandvoort, near the eponymous city in the Netherlands. Carved into the coastal sand dunes, it offers one of the most unique challenges for F1 drivers due to its high-banked turns, where the outside edge tilts upward, and the inside edge slopes down. This allows cars to be driven faster through turns but subjects drivers to intense G-forces. This tight, twisty nature makes overtaking during the race difficult, making a good performance on Saturday’s qualifying key for a solid result. It will be a tough ask for the Alpine A526 that Colapinto and Gasly drive. Zandvoort rewards cars with high aerodynamic downforce and strong traction out of corners, two of the car’s weaknesses. However, Colapinto’s aggressive driving style and dead-set commitment into turns could help him bring the most out of the car for a respectable grand prix. A track that brings good memories Zandvoort is a track where Colapinto has plenty of experience. Last season, he impressed, finishing 11th after coming under some heavy criticism by Alpine team principal Flavio Briatore. But even before then, the Argentine was blitzing through the banked turns. In 2021, aged just 17, he took 5th and 2nd places driving for Dutch squad MP Motorsport on their home track in the Formula Regional European Championship. A year later, in his rookie Formula 3 campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing, Colapinto claimed his maiden podium in the series with a third place, after qualifying 5th. The memories aren’t lost on the Argentine racer. “The circuit is one I really enjoy, and I remember it well from junior single-seaters,” he told the Alpine F1 media team. “We need to start well on Friday morning so we can find a rhythm and push to the limits early on as we aim for a return to the top-10.”