Colapinto draws a positive but hesitant assessment of the performance ofAlpine after Bahrain

For his first full off-season as a full-time driver in Formula 1Franco Colapinto has finally been able to accumulate a significant amount of riding time. After a relatively good spell at Williams in 2024 replacing Logan sargeant, then at Alpine During the 2025 season, this time to replace Jack Doohan, the Argentinian fully participated in the testing program. This gives cause for some optimism, without drawing any hasty conclusions.

"Adaptation will be key at the start of this season.", he explains, emphasizing the variations from one circuit to another, whether in driving style or in the management of hybrid systems. "It's difficult to judge our performance at the moment." According to him, four teams seem to have a clear lead, while the rest of the field is extremely close. "We'll have to wait for the first race to really know where we stand.", he warns.

These trials were of particular importance for AlpineThe stable based in enstone has changed engine suppliers and is entering a new era as a customer team of Mercedes BenzThe challenge was twofold: to understand the operation of the new engine group and to optimize its integration into the chassis.

In total, the French team completed over 1000 laps between the Barcelona Shakedown and the six days of testing in Bahrain. Franco Colapinto alone covered 650 kilometers in a single day and set a best time of 1:33.818, placing him eleventh, while his teammate Pierre Gasly also completed several relays with competitive times that allowed him to finish in eighth position with a time of 1:33.421, 1,429 seconds off the best time achieved by Charles LeclercIndicators that suggest thatAlpine could have moved from the bottom of the standings to move closer to the top of the pack.

A gap to fill

The previous season had been particularly difficult for the French team, which finished at the back of the grid with only 22 points scored exclusively by Pierre Gasly, far behind Sauber's 70 points. This significant gap is something the Gasly-Colapinto duo hopes to gradually close this year. The Argentinian driver emphasizes the importance of the mileage accumulated this winter. "It helps me enormously to arrive at the first race with so many laps under my belt." He estimates that he has already covered the equivalent of"approximately eight Grand Prix" in terms of distance, a weakness he had been carrying over from previous seasons.

Franco Colapinto notes rapid progress from one day to the next: "The car is a bit faster and the driving experience is better." He mentions a learning curve "very stiff", a sign that the team is gradually understanding the reactions of its new car.

However, he refuses any direct comparison with last year's situation. "It's still too early."he adds, while acknowledging that the momentum is positive. The immediate objective remains clear: to consistently score points and confirm that the studious winter ofAlpine It was not in vain. The verdict will come at the first round of the season, in Melbourne, from March 6 to 8, where the true hierarchy of the midfield should finally emerge.

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