All Formula 1 teams have an academy to form the future of the sport and BWT Alpine F1 Team is no exception. Among them, the French and British team also have two reserve and development drivers. But who have these roles within the team?

Created in 2002, under the Renault Driver Development name, the BWT Alpine F1 Team academy as we know today started in 2020. Like any other academy, the purpose is to train young drivers in the best way possible. They provide equipment, and sometimes the funds, for them to reach their goals: Formula 1. It goes across multiple racing categories, from karting to Formula 2.

BWT Alpine F1 Team also has two reserve and development drivers, with one still racing, and the other more dedicated to the sim and communication duties.

Reserve and Development drivers

The purpose of this role is simple. Most of the time, reserve and development drivers spend their time in the simulator, testing the cars and new set ups that will help the team to prepare better for the next race weekend. They’re also here in case one of the official drivers is sick to replace them so the team can still run both of their cars. At BWT Alpine F1 Team, two drivers occupy this role.

The young Estonian driver, who used to race in Formula 2 in 2024, will broach his second season as a full time reserve and development driver. He participated in three free practice 1 with the team through 2025, as well as two free practice sessions with Stake F1 Team. Despite a participation in the Rookie Test in Formula E, the 22 years old will spend another season without a full time seat in a racing series.

The Indian driver joined the BWT Alpine F1 Team in late 2023. After two seasons in Formula 2, he will continue his journey in the category again this year with ART Grand Prix. Like Paul Aron, he will continue his involvement with the team for a second year. Most of the time in the simulator, he was behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the last testing of 2025 in Abu Dhabi. However, 2026 could see him take part in his first free practice session.

Betting on the future: Academy drivers

Seven drivers, from karting to Formula 2 are part of the BWT Alpine F1 Team. Since four of them are still really early in their racing career, we will focus on the three main ones, excluding Kush Maini since we mentioned him before.

The BWT Alpine F1 Team golden boy is probably the Italian driver. Despite a difficult season in 2025 with PREMA Racing, Gabriele Minì will start his second season in Formula 2 with MP Motorsport. Member of the academy since 2023, he brought home three victories and thirteen podiums since signing with them. He sometimes does work in the simulator as well when both of the reserve drivers are not available. The 20 year old also participated in multiple Rookie Tests in Formula E, which could be an option for him, even though his goal is still Formula 1.

If you want to know more about Minì’s opinion on Formula E, you can read our latest interview with the young driver.

Joining in December 2023, the decision to continue with the Italian driver is probably controversial. After a really bad season in 2025 in Formula 3, where he even received a race ban, he finished 33rd in the standing, with a total of zero points. However, he also took part in the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship, where he raced twice and managed to score 337 points, which is not a bad result. 2026 might be a crucial year for the 18 year old.

The Dutch driver will compete for a second season in F1 Academy, still under the BWT Alpine F1 Team banner. Finishing sixth in the standings last year, she earned her maiden win on home soil in Zandvoort. She also scored four podiums in her rookie season. The 22 year old driver has been very vocal about how Alpine supports her and helps her throughout her still young career, which is why she decided to stay with them.

The four other drivers are Kabir Anurag who race in Formula Regional, Keanu Al Azhari starting Eurocup 3 this year as well as Ilie Tristan Crisan and Sukhmani Kaur Khera, both still in karting.

Notable Alumni

Since 2020, a good number of drivers have gone through the BWT Alpine F1 Team academy. Of course, the most notable one is without a doubt Oscar Piastri, with the false announcement of him remaining within the team in 2023, when in reality he was about to make his debut in Formula 1 with McLaren.

Jack Doohan, despite a really uncomfortable situation with him being replaced by Franco Colapinto in early 2025, was an Alpine academy driver. He has raced under the team’s colors since 2022.

The history of problematic relationships with their drivers is not new as Victor Martins also paid the price of it. They did manage to still have a great partnership as the now Williams reserve driver will race with the Alpine Endurance Team in WEC.

Before joining the RedBull Junior Academy, Nikola Tsolov also used to race with the BWT Alpine F1 Team Academy. The Bulgarian, who showed great speed last year in Formula 3 will officially make his Formula 2 debut.

And finally, how can we not mention the first F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling, who brought them a title in 2024. She later revealed that she was no longer part of the academy in March 2025, for her own decision, even though she was racing in GB3 with Rodin Motorsport.

More on our Academy Deep Dive here.