Franco Colapinto finishes third on F1 first day of tests: Exciting times ahead

Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto said there will be “exciting times ahead” after finishing third on the first day of Formula 1 tests at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in Spain, on Monday. The 22-year-old was part of F1’s first stint of testing, a five-day stretch afforded to teams to aid in the transition from the 2025 regulation cars to the brand-new 2026 cars, which also come with a whole new set of engine regulations. “Firstly, it’s a good feeling to be going into my first Formula 1 pre-season with a new car,” Colapinto told the Alpine F1 media team about his very first laps with the Alpine A526. “It’s very different with the new regulations, such big changes, and that is very exciting for everyone.” The Argentine race driver is coming off a very difficult 2025 season, when he was parachuted into one of the two main seats in the Alpine team, in place of Australia’s Jack Doohan, and struggled at times to make the best of a largely underperforming car.   He looked hopeful for the upcoming season, insisting the team has “done a great job” in having the car ready on the first day of the tests, and that it was “nice to see so much positivity and optimism in the garage.” “There’s always a lot to learn at this stage of the year with so many new things to understand,” he added. “We have two more days to run on-track here, where we need to add more mileage and complete more laps.” Alpine’s efforts to have the car ready for the test run should not go unnoticed. Several teams, including defending constructors McLaren and mythical Ferrari, have missed the first day and could miss more. Colapinto’s former team, Williams Racing, has announced it will miss the whole affair. Colapinto finished third among the nine drivers who took part in the run, with a 1:20:189 lap. For context, Australian Oscar Piastri’s 2025 Spanish Grand Prix pole position was a 1:11.546.  The Argentine driver completed 60 laps (the fifth most of any driver), although his Mercedes power unit did give up on him at one point, the first of several drivers who had the engine lose power and forced the practice to stop. It is the first time Colapinto will feature in an F1 pre-season, having previously also started mid-season with Williams in 2024.“It’s very different, but of course it is what I was needing in previous years, and to get this mileage, this running and all the learnings this early in the season is very useful,” he explained to F1TV. “I’m going to try to make the most out of it and work a lot with the team.” Cover photo: TWJB Photography/BWT Alpine Formula One Team