F1 Silly Season: Colapinto out at Alpine? Schumacher in at Cadillac?

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Colapinto will race his last Grand Prix for Alpine at the season finale. The Argentine’s spell in Formula 1 has failed to meet expectations, with both the Enstone team and Flavio Briatore losing faith.

The Germans report with certainty: Colapinto’s Alpine adventure will end in Abu Dhabi. Colapinto is the only driver on the grid without a point in the 2025 F1 World Championship and has repeatedly compromised Alpine’s progress with avoidable mistakes.

Talk in the paddock before the summer break was that the incident-prone 22-year-old could be replaced by Alpine, with either Jack Doohan or Paul Aron, if he keeps bending cars

His crash during Pirelli testing at the Hungaroring (image above) on 6 August further tilted the balance. Although Colapinto walked away unhurt, the accident inflicted heavy damage on the car and disrupted development programmes for both Alpine and suppliers.

Beyond Alpine, the 2026 entry of Cadillac is shaping up to be a major Silly Season story. The American manufacturer will debut in Formula 1 with Ferrari power units for its first campaigns, but the driver line-up is still unsettled.

Valtteri Bottas appears poised for a comeback. The Finn is tipped for an imminent announcement, which would see him return to the grid after a year away in a reserve role with Mercedes, the team he raced for between 2017 and 2021. Bottas is expected to be the anchor for the new project, leaving the second Cadillac seat wide open.

Sergio Perez is one candidate. The Mexican offers both speed and sponsorship, having carried strong financial support since his Sauber debut. However, German sources point in another direction.

According to F1-Insider, Formula 1 itself is lobbying for Mick Schumacher to be placed in the Cadillac seat as early as 2026. The reasoning is clear: with Nico Hülkenberg in the latter stages of his career, the sport risks losing its German driver presence.

There are also political dimensions. F1 president Stefano Domenicali is in discussions with German officials over the return of the German Grand Prix, with either the Nürburgring or Hockenheim as possible venues. Having the Schumacher name back on the grid would bolster that effort.

Mick, son of the seven-time World Champion, raced two seasons at Haas before taking a reserve role at Mercedes. This year he competes for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship.

A direct replacement for Colapinto at Alpine looks highly unlikely, but the arrival of Cadillac as the 11th team could yet provide his way back to Formula 1.