Franco Colapinto will race in the Italian Grand Prix this weekend as an Alpine driver confirmed for the 2027 season, following the French team's announcement of his contract renewal.
Colapinto expressed satisfaction with the extension during pre-race media activity at Monza. "I'm very happy, pleased with the news. I think it brings a bit of peace of mind," he said. "I keep working the same way, nothing changed, I don't feel different from before. I was very calm with the work I was doing."
The Argentine driver emphasized that the renewal does not alter his approach. "It's not something that makes me change my way of working or my point of view," Colapinto stated. He added that the coming seasons will focus on continued improvement with the team. "It will be a year to keep working and keep improving with the team. I think we'll make a very big step from 2025 to 2026, we'll try to make another one from 2026 to 2027."
Colapinto had previously expressed his commitment to Alpine through social media following the official announcement. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to continue with the team. I'm really happy to be part of this family," he wrote.
For this weekend's race at Monza, Colapinto will debut the complete upgrade package that teammate Pierre Gasly first used at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. The improvements represented a significant performance gain for Alpine at that event and generated optimism within the French team.
Alpine also announced a new commercial partnership ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Valvoline, a motor lubricant specialist, has joined as a global partner of the team in a multi-year agreement. The partnership will be visible on the Alpine A526 cars of both Colapinto and Gasly starting this weekend, with branding featured prominently on the vehicles and across various team spaces.
The Italian Grand Prix takes place September 4-6 and marks the thirteenth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Colapinto acknowledged that Monza presents challenges for Alpine, citing heat, tire wear, and the demands of the current 2026 regulations as complicating factors for the weekend ahead.