The departure of Esteban Ocon left Alpine in a rather vulnerable position after the 2024 Formula 1 season. The team did not have a list of high-value targets, which has hurt them greatly in retrospect.
Jack Doohan’s tenure was short-lived and did not have the impact Alpine had hoped for. Replacing the Aussie driver with Franco Colapinto has only provided a slight improvement, and the team are already looking to bounce back even stronger in 2026.
Several names have been rumored to replace Colapinto, including Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Paul Aron, Kush Maini, and even Doohan. With links to Bottas getting stronger, much of the Formula 1 world is starting to envision an Alpine driver lineup of Pierre Gasly and Bottas for next season.
However, there comes a major risk in signing the 35-year-old. There is no consensus on Bottas' level at the moment. Additionally, it is tough to use his three-year tenure at Sauber to draw conclusions, given the deficiency of their car. While he brings lots of experience and success from his time at Williams and Mercedes, his status is still quite uncertain, as he has not even participated in an FP1 session this year.
Paul Aron has an opportunity to show his level
Aron signed on as a reserve driver for Alpine this season after a strong Formula 2 campaign in 2024. The Estonian driver has been given an opportunity to do two FP1 sessions for Sauber at Silverstone and Budapest this year.
While he is not viewed as a strong candidate for Alpine at the moment, data surrounding his performance in those two sessions definitely needs to be assessed carefully. A good performance from Aron could even prompt Alpine to put him into the car from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards, should Colapinto not improve.
Aron’s assessment will be with greater confidence, as his track time will be seen as more valuable since Bottas has made no appearances thus far. Mercedes, where he is now a reserve driver, could grant the Finnish driver permission to conduct tests with other teams, but nothing has come to fruition yet.
With Bottas having not been competitive since 2021, Alpine could opt for youth in their 2026 driver lineup. While not an easy decision, Aron could hold the edge heading into the summer break.