26/06/2026 19:46 - Deportes
Franco Colapinto experienced a day of contrasting fortunes during the opening day of the Austrian Grand Prix at the iconic Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. The Argentine driver, who joined Alpine as a mid-season replacement, showed promising pace in the first practice session but struggled significantly in the second, highlighting the challenges the team faces with their latest upgrade package.
The day started with an encouraging result. In Free Practice 1 (FP1), Colapinto posted a time of 1:08.962, securing the 8th position on the timesheets—just over a second off the pace and more than half a second ahead of his teammate, French driver Pierre Gasly. This strong start generated optimism, especially considering Alpine introduced a package of five upgrades to the car, primarily focused on a new front wing designed to address understeer issues.
However, Free Practice 2 (FP2) told a different story. Setup changes failed to deliver the expected results, and Franco finished in 16th place with a time of 1:08.831, more than 1.8 seconds behind the leader. In contrast, Gasly improved significantly and ended the day in 11th position.
"It's been quite a complicated first day here in Austria. Overall, we've had some issues with the car due to the heat. The first session was acceptable, but in the second, I couldn't quite find the right rhythm," Colapinto admitted in the team's official statement.
FP1 Result: 8th place
Time: 1:08.962
Gap to Gasly: +0.500s
FP2 Result: 16th place
Time: 1:08.831
Gap to Gasly: -0.455s
Alpine Upgrades: 5 total, including new front wing.
The Red Bull Ring, located in Spielberg, Austria, is one of the shortest and fastest circuits on the F1 calendar. Its compact layout and sweeping corners make it a favorite among drivers, but also extremely demanding on car setup. Alpine, formerly known as Renault F1 Team, is a French constructor currently fighting in the midfield. Colapinto, who previously raced for Williams in 2024, was brought in mid-season to help develop the car—a challenging task given the tight margins in modern Formula 1.
The core issue lay in the car's setup and the performance of the new components. The Argentine driver explained that the new parts didn't perform as expected. "Today it didn't improve. I tried both wing configurations. It was quite frustrating because we expected a big difference. We need to understand why things didn't work as we hoped," Colapinto stated in an interview with ESPN.
He added: "In FP2 we made big changes because the car wasn't working well... and everything got even worse. A day where the car was never in the right window. We'll have to work tonight."
The French team, seeking to make a leap in performance, must now meticulously analyze the collected data to understand the car's behavior and find the right direction for Saturday's qualifying session.
The French driver took a more measured tone, focusing on data collection. "It's been very hot here in Austria, which has certainly been a challenge for the car. Today we focused on gathering data, especially since we brought some new parts," Gasly explained. He remained optimistic: "I think we're clearly in the fight for the top 10 along with our usual rivals."
While Alpine dealt with their issues, young Andrea Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes dominated both sessions. In FP2, he set the fastest time with 1:07.014, followed by his teammate George Russell. The McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the top positions, confirming the strong championship pace.
The Formula 1 weekend continues with the final free practice this Saturday at 7:30 AM (Argentine time / 11:30 AM CET), followed by qualifying at 11:00 AM (Argentine time / 4:00 PM CET). Sunday's race is scheduled for 10:00 AM (Argentine time / 3:00 PM CET) and will cover 71 laps around the 4.318 km circuit.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
