Franco Colapinto has landed a dream job in Formula 1, signing on as Alpine’s reserve driver for 2025 and beyond. It’s a huge step forward for the young Argentine, who caught everyone’s attention during his impressive stint filling in for Logan Sargeant at Williams last season.
For a while, it looked like Colapinto might end up at Red Bull. The rumor mill was working overtime late last season, but that seat eventually went to Liam Lawson instead.
Red Bull’s actually got a bit of a puzzle to solve now. With both Lawson and Isack Hadjar moving up to full-time racing seats, they need to find someone new to be their backup driver.
Here’s how the reserve driver lineup is shaping up across F1 for 2025:
Mercedes is looking strong with veteran Valtteri Bottas and up-and-comer Frederik Vesti ready to step in if needed.
Aston Martin’s gone all-in with three backups: Jak Crawford, Felipe Drugovich, and Stoffel Vandoorne.
Ferrari’s keeping it simple with Antonio Giovinazzi, while McLaren’s got IndyCar star Pato O’Ward on standby.
Alpine’s built quite the roster, pairing Colapinto with Ryo Hirakawa and Paul Aron.
Haas is sticking with Pietro Fittipaldi, who’s been their reliable backup for years now.
Several teams are still keeping their cards close to their chest. Williams, Stake F1 Team, and Racing Bulls haven’t announced their reserve drivers yet.
The role of reserve driver is more important than ever in modern F1. They’re not just sitting around hoping for a chance – they’re in the simulator, helping develop the car, and ready to jump in at a moment’s notice. Just ask Colapinto, whose fill-in performance at Williams helped land him this new gig.
