F1 team Alpine look to make move to lure Valtteri Bottas from Mercedes for 2026
Alpine are adamant on getting their driver line-up right for 2026 and Bottas, a former Mercedes driver might be the key as the team looks to successfully transition out of a poor year.
The Enstone-based team currently sit last in the constructors championship standings with only 11 points.
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Their fortunes could be set to change as they look to switch to a Mercedes power unit next year, and a former driver of theirs might just be the perfect fit to help steer their chances.
Alpine's executive advisor and de factor team principal Flavio Briatore has enquired with the Silver Arrows about the move with the expectation Mercedes will not stand in the way of their reserve driver landing a permanent seat.
Bottas is contracted until the end of the year.
While Frenchman Pierre Gasly remains part of the Alpine project moving forward, there are question marks over the second seat currently held by a struggling Frank Colapinto, who already took the seat from Aussie Jack Doohan earlier in the racing season.
Bottas suddenly has a couple of suitors.
The 35-year-old and former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez are the frontrunners to be the two drivers for Cadillac, which is joining F1 as the sport's 11th team next season.
After sacking Doohan, Briatore said Alpine planned to rotate the second seat among their reserve drivers for the reset of the season, depending Colapinto's performance.
Highly rated reserve driver Paul Aron will make his debut in the first practice session this weekend at the British Grand Prix for rival team, in an agreement with Alpine.
Colapinto has struggled since his debut for the team, still without a point in his five races, however he isn't the only one to blame.
Given Gasly has also struggled to perform, notching points on only one occasion since Colapinto's arrival, it's clear the car is not up to the standard that Alpine want.
The switch to the Mercedes power unit mean their fortunes could be set to chance next year, meaning a simultaneous driver change could also be in the cards.
Bottas makes the most sense, given the experience of 247 grands prix to his name, among them 10 race wins and 67 podiums with Mercedes.
The Finnish driver is the reserve driver for Mercedes this year, giving him a unique insight into the development of the 2026 car Alpine will ultimately end up with.
Though he remains the reserve driver for Mercedes, his path to the grid remains blocked by George Russell and young sensation Kimi Antonelli who look set to be the driver pairing for the foreseeable future.
That is unless Red Bull driver Max Verstappen looks to test his options — the four time champion could find himself in the Mercedes garage if a shock team switch eventuates, but neither scenario helps Bottas.
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