Alpine’s Flavio Briatore in talks with 11-DNF F1 outcast to replace Franco Colapinto

It is believed that the £15m Colapinto’s sponsors bring to Alpine is the main reason he is still on the grid. But with his position looking shaky, Briatore is expected to move on from the Argentine after 2025. With Bottas and Perez heading to Cadillac, Alpine are now exploring other options.

According to Autosport Web, one of those options could be Zhou Guanyu. He is currently a reserve driver at Ferrari, but is keen on returning to F1 after Audi chose not to keep him on at Sauber.

Zhou is not considering racing in any other series, focusing solely on an F1 comeback. His name has also come up in discussions between Alpine and Geely, as the Chinese automotive giant considers investing in the team.

Geely, valued at £187.5bn, are considering investing in a Formula 1 team. Discussions with Alpine have already begun, boosting Shanghai-born Zhou’s chances of replacing Colapinto.

He is not the only candidate being considered. McLaren junior Alex Dunne and Aston Martin reserve Felipe Drugovich are also reportedly being discussed by Briatore as potential alternatives.

Franco Colapinto played a role in Zhou Guanyu losing his seat on the 2025 F1 grid at Sauber

Zhou replacing Colapinto at Alpine in 2026 would be an interesting twist, given how their paths have crossed before. It was Colapinto’s rise at Williams that had already put pressure on Zhou’s seat the year prior, with Audi considering an early exit for the Chinese driver based on the Argentine’s immediate impact.

After moving up from F2, Colapinto stepped in for Logan Sargeant over the final nine races of 2024, picking up points with an eighth-place finish in Baku and another top-10 in Austin. Meanwhile, Zhou managed to finish out the season and delivered Sauber’s only points of the year with his own P8 result in Qatar.

When Audi chose not to renew his contract at Sauber for 2025, the Chinese driver joined Ferrari as a reserve option. His main goal has always been to return to a race seat by 2026, and although he missed out on Cadillac’s debut line-up, Alpine might now offer that route back.

Many expected Cadillac to pick Zhou for their first F1 roster but they opted for Bottas and Perez instead. Over three seasons and 68 Grand Prix starts – including 11 retirements – Zhou scored just 16 points.