Why Alpine in particular will be irked by the Cadillac announcement

Cadillac has secured two drivers, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, for 2026. The new American team seems to have outsmarted Alpine, which is likely the most disappointed by this news.

That Cadillac has chosen not one, but two experienced drivers for its debut in 2026 is primarily a hard blow for the Enstone-based outfit. While it was expected that the American racing team would secure one of the two race winners, acquiring both has made Alpine's position a lot more difficult.

For now, Alpine keeps faith in Franco Colapinto, but it's no secret that the French team is using 2025 as a testing period for 2026. It wants to figure out which driver is best to sit next to Pierre Gasly when the team starts a new era in 2026 with Mercedes engines.

Within Alpine, there is a lot of confidence in the start of the 2026 season, but there is hardly any certainty about the line-up. Pierre Gasly is a certainty, but who should sit next to him? Jack Doohan has not convinced, and Franco Colapinto is not faring much better. Will Paul Aron also get a chance to prove himself?

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Alpine is outsmarted by Cadillac

With the performances of Doohan and Colapinto, it was not surprising that Alpine entered into discussions with both Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez. In both cases, the decision not to join the team came from the driver. Throughout the period of negotiations, Alpine continually expressed its confidence in its drivers, but now that commitment will be put to the test.

Although Bottas and Perez will be 36 years old when the F1 season of 2026 begins, they both have proven to keep up very well in F1. Something Alpine could use next to Gasly. While Ocon and Gasly jointly scored the points, the team has slipped to last place in the constructors' championship, effectively relying on only one driver. Alpine desperately needs a stronger second driver.

Pierre Gasly has scored all of the Alpine team's points so far in 2025

With Bottas and Perez, there were two drivers on the market with race victories under their belts. But suddenly, both are off the market in one fell swoop, leaving Alpine to fish in a completely different pond. All options outside their own drivers are also all gambles for a new season.

Outside their existing lineup, choices are limited to those who once shone in junior categories. Felipe Drugovich is one possibility, Mick Schumacher is another, although he is considered inferior in his head-to-head battle with Jack Doohan. Then there are emerging F2 prospects like Alexander Dunne and Leonardo Fornaroli, but can they really outperform Colapinto or Doohan?

There is only one driver with F1 experience who is likely to come onto the market after 2025, and that is Yuki Tsunoda. With four years of Racing Bulls and almost a year of Red Bull Racing, he would bring more experience. Notably, during his final season as teammate with Gasly at Alpha Tauri (2022), Tsunoda held his own and was anything but inferior to the Frenchman. Could he be ready four years later to be on par with Gasly at Alpine?