Why Alpine have enquired about Mercedes reserve Valtteri Bottas’ availability

Alpine have enquired about the availability of 10-time race winner and current Mercedes reserve Valtteri Bottas, should they decide they want to change their line-up this season or beyond. F1 Correspondent Lawrence Barretto explains the state of play…

Why are Alpine looking for a driver if they already have Gasly and Colapinto locked in this season?

Well, they’re not so much chasing as they are exploring their options.

Alpine are in something of a transitional year – and with the Enstone-based team swapping to Mercedes power next year as part of an overhaul of the squad under the stewardship of Flavio Briatore, they are keen to get their driver line-up right for 2026.

Pierre Gasly is, without question, part of their plans. Their second seat is trickier.

They’ve already made a change this season, bringing in Franco Colapinto to replace Jack Doohan (with the latter back to reserve and the bench) from Imola onwards.

Colapinto hasn’t hit the ground running like he did in his super sub performance for Williams and has yet to score a point in five races with the squad.

However, it must be said that the car has lacked performance relative to its rivals and, since Colapinto joined the team, his team mate Gasly has scored just once with eighth in Spain.

Alpine continue to back Colapinto – and believe he is capable of delivering.

But as 2026 edges ever closer, Briatore is doing what you’d expect him to do – keeping his finger on the pulse and ensuring he knows what his options are going forward, hence why sources say he contacted Mercedes to check on Bottas’ availability.

So, don’t leave me hanging – what did they say?

My understanding is that Mercedes will not stand in Bottas’ way should he be offered a race seat elsewhere.

I believe Bottas is contracted to the Silver Arrows, where he won all of his 10 races, until the end of the year – and then he is free to make his own decisions with regards trying to find a race seat (or worst-case alternative role) next season.

His boss Toto Wolff is a big supporter of Bottas and believes he is still operating at a high-level and is deserving of a place on the grid. So, it’s no surprise they would accommodate a request should one be made for his services, especially as Alpine will be running the Silver Arrows’ engines next year.

Why would Alpine be keen to explore an option on Bottas?

It’s two-fold. Briatore finds the team’s currently level of performance concerning. With Alpine locked to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, he wants short-term progress soon.

Having two strong drivers delivering consistently can have a significant impact – as Williams are seeing with their experienced line-up of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.

Secondly, he wants the team to take advantage of sweeping changes to the aerodynamic and power unit regulations next season – and the arrival of Mercedes power, which is widely expected to be among the best, if not the best, engines next year.

Bringing on someone with Bottas’ experience could help on both counts.

The Finn has 247 Grands Prix to his name, has won 10 races, scored 67 podiums and taken 20 pole positions. He excelled during his time at Mercedes, particularly with regards to his one-lap pace, and made a positive impact during his three years at Sauber.

His time at Mercedes has given him recent insight into how a race-winning team is operating while he is believed to have been fully plugged into the development of the 2026 car. He even had some seat time with McLaren earlier this year in a 2023-spec car.

Alpine could benefit from Bottas’ presence in the race team – and there will be those internally who are fans of his given he was in contention for a seat there this year before the management changed and opted for Doohan.

Will Bottas fancy it?

One thing is for sure, Bottas is hungry to return to a race seat and more motivated than ever.

He took the Mercedes reserve role (to stay relevant, fit and connected to the sport) and is keen on discussions with newcomers Cadillac about a race seat next year.

The Finn would back himself to deliver if he gets a shot at Alpine – and you’d expect he’d be interested in a deal that allows him to drive next year, too, for security. His experience with Mercedes power could be invaluable.

Such a move would help him get race sharp again so that even if Alpine don’t retain him, he would be even more appealing to the likes of Cadillac, as they look to hit the ground running on debut next year.

So, now what happens?

For now, it’s business as usual and Colapinto will be in the car at Silverstone and beyond.

If Alpine decide they want to pursue an alternative, preliminary talks with Mercedes would likely continue, with Bottas and his management also being drafted in if things accelerate.

This situation must be tough on Colapinto…

Absolutely, but every driver is under pressure to perform – and Colapinto is no different.

Briatore’s move to explore options will raise that pressure, but it might trigger a step up in performance for the Argentine driver.

Silverstone is a circuit which the 22-year-old has performed well at in junior formulae – and he’ll have fond memories of the place having made his Grand Prix weekend debut there last year when driving for Williams.

If Colapinto improves his results, Briatore won’t need to change anything for now. And just knowing Bottas is available gives Briatore and Alpine flexibility.