max verstappen en sergio perez bij red bull

'Perez in picture at Alpine as replacement for underperforming Colapinto'

13:15, 10 Jun

Updated: 13:30, 10 Jun

byTim Kraaij

Franco Colapinto has not performed as expected, and so the pressure is already increasing once again on a driver at Alpine. Not Jack Doohan, but Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen's old teammate, is said to be in the picture as a possible replacement.

Jack Doohan was given seven Grands Prix to prove he deserved a spot in Formula 1. An unfairly low number, so judged several of Doohan's colleagues in the paddock. However, the reality was that even seven races were quite a lot given that Flavio Briatore reportedly wanted to put Franco Colapinto in the car much earlier.

Ultimately, Briatore chose Colapinto after six races in the 2026 F1 season, but it has not turned out very well. Where Doohan qualified ahead of Pierre Gasly in his last race weekend for the team, Colapinto has not yet managed to do so. In addition, the Argentine also crashed his car in Imola, which naturally cost the team a lot of money.

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Flavio Briatore at the Formula 1 paddock

Is Perez moving to Alpine?

Luca de Meo still stands firmly behind Flavio Briatore, but according to Formula 1 journalist Joe Saward, he is in the minority within Alpine in terms of people who believe that Briatore is the answer to Alpine's problems. Especially the decision to put Colapinto in the car would not look good for the Italian.

Alpine still has Jack Doohan on their roster, as well as Paul Aron as another driver who could step in as a reserve for Colapinto. Yet according to Saward, there are also rumors that Sergio Perez is being considered as a replacement for Colapinto.

GPblog asked Alpine for a response. The French team said it's just rumours and speculation, without any substance to it.

Like Colapinto, Sergio Perez also brings with him a wealth of sponsors that could provide a financial solution for Alpine.

Although his last years at Red Bull Racing were not particularly successful, the performances of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda could show that Perez did not fare too badly alongside Max Verstappen.

While Perez would be able to start immediately at Alpine in this case, his name has also been circulating at Cadillac for quite a while. The American team, set to make their debut in Formula 1 in 2026, have been described by many as the ideal destination for Perez.

However, no deal has been made yet, allowing Perez to still sign with other teams.