Franco Colapinto will continue with Alpine in Formula 1 for the 2027 season, the team confirmed on Thursday.
The news means Alpine will take an unchanged line-up of Colapinto and Pierre Gasly into next season and makes it likely an Aston Martin contract extension for two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will follow in the near future.
Argentinian driver Colapinto has been on loan from Williams since he replaced Jack Doohan at the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
After the summer break, Williams confirmed it will continue with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz into next season, closing off any potential path back in the immediate future.
Alpine's confirmation of Colapinto's new deal did not specify whether his loan has been extended or whether he had joined Alpine outright.
Colapinto's position at Alpine had been uncertain while Alonso's own future with the struggling Aston Martin team was up in the air -- Alpine is run by Alonso's old manager and long-time associate Flavio Briatore.
On Thursday, Alpine ended any lingering speculation Alonso might jump ship by confirming a new deal for Colapinto -- an extension for Alonso at Aston Martin beyond 2026 should now be considered a matter of when, not if.
Alpine's announcement said: "Franco's commitment to 2027, and the team's mutual trust in him, underlines its ambitions for the future. As the team seeks further stability and forward momentum across the board, consistency in its driver line-up epitomises its intentions as Franco and Pierre remain together for a third season in 2027."
- Max vs 100: F1 superstar Verstappen to race drivers in karting event - live on Disney+
- Haas boss hails Brit Oliver Bearman: 'I haven't seen the ceiling with him'
- Despite back-to-back wins, Norris says his F1 title form is a mirage
Despite being on loan from another team, Colapinto said Alpine feels like a second home to him now.
"I am very pleased to remain with this team in 2027," he said. "I feel very happy and very settled here and it's been even better that we have made significant progress this year compared to last. We have a lot more milestones to reach and I know the team is working so hard in finding performance and making the car better and better.
"Our long-term goals are obvious -- to compete and win -- and I am grateful to the team, Flavio and Steve [Nielsen], for the trust placed in me to be one of its drivers going into the future. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything plays out and focusing on my job on-track first and foremost."
Briatore said the team's ambition is now to give its drivers a winning car.
"We are very happy to confirm our driver line-up for 2027 with Franco staying as a race driver alongside Pierre," he said. "For me, having consistency is very important. We are now settled from a driver point of view and I have said many times that, while this is an important piece of the puzzle, the most significant we have to get right is designing and building a fast race car which absolutely remains our number one priority.
"We have seen Franco truly grow and mature into a great driver this year. His results in Miami and Montréal especially confirmed what I already knew: Franco belongs in Formula 1 and he belongs at this team. I expect both Franco, and Pierre, to continue doing a fantastic job on track and for the entire team to push relentlessly until we are fighting, and winning, at the front end of this sport."
Colapinto's deal continues what looks set to be a static year in the driver market -- four-time world champion Max Verstappen's Red Bull extension, also confirmed last week, ended any likelihood of any big-name team switches this season.