Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto will be stepping into his Alpine F1 car once again as Formula One returns to the Americas for a four-race series in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil.
It’ll be the ideal moment for the 22-year-old to shine. After a couple of hard races where he found himself unable to improve the hand he was dealt, a return to home turf could provide the boost he needed.
“We’re keeping our heads down as a team and staying focused on learning as much as we can each time we’re on track,” Colapinto told the Alpine F1 media team. “I am confident that there are races coming up which should better suit us.”
The team will be doing “everything [they] can to be in contention” and secure some points finishes between now and the end of the year, he added.
The American swing starts at Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, Texas, for the U.S. Grand Prix. Colapinto undoubtedly has fond memories of the track: it was his second — and last — points finish for Williams Racing last season. He also won “Overtake of the Season” for passing two-time world champion Fernando Alonso there.
“The fans in America are also always great to interact with and there is always a good following of Argentinians in the crowd which I love to see,” he said. “We will be working hard right from the word go to put on a show and, hopefully, we can take a nice reward from it.”
New colors This leg of the F1 tour also brought an important announcement for Colapinto and his chances of retaining the Alpine F1 seat for 2026: Argentine e-commerce market company Mercado Libre debuted as a sponsor on the car.
The company will feature prominently in the new paint scheme for his car, with the Mercado Libre yellow on the back.
The team and brand announced it via an ad campaign, where the company’s delivery team races the Alpine F1 car for a spot in the paint scheme. The clip, titled Unidos por la velocidad (united by speed) features Colapinto and a special appearance from Brazilian football star Neymar.
“Racing with Mercado Libre’s colours is very special for me,” said Colapinto. “It means bringing a brand to the track that was born in my country and now represents millions of Latin Americans on a global stage.”
Mercado Libre was already among the Alpine F1 sponsors as part of Colapinto’s deal, but will now feature on the car for races in the U.S., Mexico and Brazil, as it did when he was racing for Williams Racing in 2024.
The United States Formula 1 Grand Prix will start on Friday, October 17, with Free Practice 1 scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. Later that day, the Sprint Qualifying session will run from 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, the Sprint Race will launch at 2 p.m., with Qualifying for the main race scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Lights will go green for the main race on Sunday at 4 p.m.
All times are Argentine time.
