Alpine has taken the unusual step of publishing an open letter to address growing speculation that the team is deliberately undermining Franco Colapinto, after incidents in China and Japan put the 22-year-old at the centre of safety-car drama alongside Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
In a statement released this month, the Enstone outfit directly rejected claims that Colapinto is being supplied with inferior equipment to team-mate Pierre Gasly.
"Any questions about sabotage or not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded," the team said.
The letter went further, explaining that the only specification difference between the two cars at the Chinese Grand Prix came from a mechanical necessity rather than a political one. Alpine confirmed that a gearbox problem forced the team to swap in "small low-performance impacting parts" on Colapinto's car, creating a minor variation that conspiracy-minded fans later seized upon.
The team also pushed back firmly against the online abuse aimed at Ocon and Bearman after their on-track tangles with Colapinto. Alpine's statement criticised the treatment of both drivers, framing the pile-on as unacceptable and stressing that its rivals were not to blame for the contact that triggered Bearman's 50G impact at Suzuka.
Crucially, the letter contained a rare admission from a modern F1 operation: Alpine conceded that its silence after the Chinese Grand Prix had allowed the narrative to spiral. Not addressing the fallout from the Ocon–Colapinto incident sooner, the team said, was an oversight it regretted.
The context explains the unusual public response. Colapinto has had a bruising start to his first full season. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu publicly cleared him of blame for the Bearman shunt, pointing at the extreme closing speeds created by the 2026 regulations, but pundits on the P1 with Matt & Tommy podcast were more measured. Matt rated the Argentine 5/10 for Japan, arguing he "contributed to the safety car incident with a late defensive move," while acknowledging "the closing speeds are so insane." Tommy echoed the point, describing Colapinto as "a day late and a dollar short" in Martin Brundle's well-worn phrase.
For his part, Colapinto has insisted the 2026 Alpine feels competitive. "I'm happier, of course, that when you can fight a bit further up, it makes you feel more confident," he said in the Suzuka pre-race press conference, adding that chasing Q3 appearances was realistic this year compared with his struggles in 2025.
The sabotage claims themselves originated largely on social media, fed by Colapinto's passionate Argentine fanbase, who have been vocal since he joined the squad. Alpine's decision to respond publicly — rather than let the story burn itself out — suggests the team has learned from the reputational damage of past controversies, including the fraught Alonso–Ocon partnership that ultimately ended the Frenchman's Enstone stay.
With the European leg of the 2026 season approaching, Alpine will be desperate to shift the narrative back to its on-track form — where, ironically, Gasly has been producing the kind of performances that undercut any suggestion the team is internally compromised. His qualifying and race pace at Suzuka drew perfect scores from pundits, proof that, whatever the politics, the Alpine package has genuine competitive pace in 2026.
Source: newsformula.one