Colapinto says Madrid was his best F1 weekend yet
NXTbets Pro | Published On: September 16, 2026
Colapinto’s Madrid breakthrough
Alpine driver Franco Colapinto said the Spanish Grand Prix was probably his best weekend in Formula 1 so far, and his best race weekend of the season for Alpine. He backed that up with a ninth-place qualifying run that took him into Q3, and he said he felt “one with the car” through the weekend. Colapinto also beat Pierre Gasly in qualifying for only the second time this season. The performance reflected the feeling he had in the cockpit and the strong laps he put together in Q2 and Q3.
Colapinto’s qualifying pace
Colapinto said he studied Gasly’s qualifying data from Monza after Gasly took a surprise pole there, and that work carried over to Madrid. He said the Monza analysis helped him improve, and he credited Gasly’s approach with helping him improve. Colapinto pointed to Gasly’s ability to improve from Q1 to Q3 in Monza through driving and energy management. In Madrid, he said he was faster than Gasly throughout qualifying, and he singled out the laps he put together in Q2 and Q3 as a major reason for the result. The work showed in the final order, and it gave him a rare edge in the head-to-head battle with his teammate.
Colapinto’s race finish
Colapinto turned that qualifying speed into a strong race result. He made a good start and got ahead of Oscar Piastri, then gained ground after Lewis Hamilton retired and picked up another position during the race’s only Virtual Safety Car period after a pit stop. He finished seventh, which gave him points in back-to-back Formula 1 races. The result also marked his eighth points finish in 14 races, another solid marker in a season where he has been building momentum. Colapinto said he wants to carry that momentum into Baku and the rest of the season. The finish gave Alpine another encouraging sign from a driver who said Madrid was his best weekend yet.
