Franco Colapinto could lose job after testing incident as Alpine consider giving huge name shock F1 return

Franco Colapinto could face an uncertain future after his latest outing for Alpine ended in the barriers.

Back in May, Colapinto, 22, was drafted in by Alpine to replace Jack Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix.

Since then, the Argentine has largely struggled and finished in a disappointing 18th place at last weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.

Colapinto is yet to score this season and sits 20 points behind teammate Pierre Gasly.

On Wednesday, Alpine confirmed that Colapinto was involved in an accident during a Pirelli Tyre Test ahead of the 2026 season.

Taking to social media, the team wrote: "Team Update. During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11.

"Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK."

Alpine star Franco Colapinto was involved in a testing accident. Image: Getty

This will add further fuel to the already burning fire surrounding his future.

Over the last few weeks, the likes of Paul Aron and Valtteri Bottas have been linked with replacing Colapinto at Alpine.

However, current Mercedes reserve driver Bottas has been heavily linked with Cadillac, who will be joining the grid as the 11th team next season.

Recently, an F1 journalist has stated that Alpine could look to former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez as the replacement for Colapinto.

The Mexican has been without a seat since being let go by Red Bull following the end of the 2024 season, when he was replaced by Liam Lawson.

As per F1 Oversteer, Ralf Bach said: "So I still think that he’s under scrutiny from Briatore, still being viewed critically, and anyone who knows Briatore knows that he has other ideas about the future.

"I don’t think it’s any secret that he has already talked to Bottas, and I also believe that Perez should not be underestimated when it comes to who will drive for Alpine next, because Perez has experience and has millions behind him again from Carlos Slim, who wants to bring him back to Formula 1."

He continued: "So Briatore definitely sees a win-win situation in getting Perez, and I wouldn’t necessarily rule out that happening."

Sergio Perez was axed by Red Bull after the 2024 season. Image: Getty

What has Flavio Briatore said about Franco Colapinto?

Speaking in June, Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore said of Colapinto: "I never tell [say] five races, three races, four races, one race. If Colapinto is performing, he's driving the car. If not, we will see. 2025 is a year we need to prepare ourselves for 2026. So whatever experiment I need doing, we are doing.

"I don't know at this moment if Franco will stay for the season or not, but let's see. Depends on the performance. We're only looking at the performance - nothing else."