Colapinto Eyes Midfield Progress with Alpine in 2026 F1 Season

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto acknowledges the team’s competitive position remains uncertain heading into the 2026 Formula 1 season, despite promising pre-season testing. The Argentine driver, entering his third season on the grid, is optimistic about improvements following Alpine’s switch to Mercedes power units.

Alpine’s Pre-Season Preparations

All eleven F1 teams utilized the pre-season tests to assess the performance of the redesigned power units. Although, Alpine faced the additional challenge of integrating a new engine supplier, transitioning to Mercedes. The team completed over 1000 laps during testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, with Colapinto contributing 650km of running in a single day. His teammate, Pierre Gasly, too logged significant mileage with competitive lap times, suggesting a potential move for Alpine from the back of the grid towards the midfield.

Colapinto’s Assessment of the Competition

Colapinto emphasized the importance of adaptation as a key factor in the early stages of the season. “I think adaptation will be key in this early part of the season. Changing track to track, everything changes – the way you drive, the deployment. We’ll see,” he stated. He also noted the need for extensive simulator work to prepare for each race.

Regarding the competitive landscape, Colapinto believes four teams are clearly ahead, with the remaining teams closely matched. “Our performance is tricky to tell,” he admitted. “I think there are four teams quite far ahead, and it’s the rest of the teams that are also very close together. We’ll need to wait and see in Race 1 where we really are.”

Increased Mileage and Confidence

Colapinto expressed satisfaction with the amount of track time he received during pre-season testing, stating it provided a significant advantage. “It really helped, I think, to arrive at Race 1 with mileage,” he said. “I’m much closer to what the other guys have been learning and running. It’s already like eight races in terms of mileage, so it does support a lot. That’s something I’ve been missing last year and the year before, so it’s a big step.”

He also noted the continuous improvements being made to the car. “It feels different, of course, from last year, but I think the progress is very steep. From one day to another, things change and the car is a bit quicker and it’s feeling better. So again, I think in a few races, we will sense even better than now and we will start to get more used to it, get more comfortable and quicker, especially. So yeah, I think it’s too early to compare too much to last year, but it’s definitely improving.”

Colapinto’s Journey to Alpine

Franco Colapinto initially joined Alpine as a reserve driver after an agreement with Williams following a successful stint with the team in 2024. He subsequently secured a full-time race seat, replacing Jack Doohan from round seven in 2025. Alpine confirmed Colapinto’s continuation with the team for the 2026 season, citing his strong financial backing from Argentinian sponsors, including Globant and YPF, as well as Mercado Libre.

Colapinto became Argentina’s first F1 driver since Gastón Mazzacane in 2001, quickly gaining popularity after his initial performances with Williams.