Gabriele Minì to make Alpine FP1 debut in Mexico City
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 27, 2026
Minì’s Alpine chance
Alpine confirmed Minì will drive Franco Colapinto‘s Alpine in FP1 at the Grand Prix, giving him his first official Formula 1 race weekend outing. The move gives Minì a step onto a grand prix weekend after results across the junior ladder. He has been part of the Alpine Academy since 2023 and has kept building his case with results across Formula 2 and Formula 3. Minì is fourth in the Formula 2 standings with two rounds remaining. He has won two Formula 2 races and added seven podiums this season. He also finished runner-up in Formula 3 in 2024. His Formula 2 debut came with a podium in Baku as Ollie Bearman‘s substitute, a sharp first appearance that added to his momentum. Alpine’s decision puts him in a live Formula 1 session for the first time.
Minì’s preparation work
Minì said the FP1 appearance would be a “special moment,” and he has already put in the work to make the most of it. He prepared at Enstone in the simulator and with the engineers, with the goal of helping Alpine gather useful data during the session. That detail matters because rookie practice runs are built around more than a simple cameo. Formula 1 teams are using them to satisfy the sport’s annual requirement for four rookie practice outings, so every appearance carries a clear purpose. For Minì, the Mexico City run is both a reward for his results and a test of how he handles a Formula 1 car in an official weekend environment. He arrives with a season that has already included two Formula 2 wins, seven podiums and a place near the front of the standings, and Alpine has given him the chance to turn that form into track time with the team.
Rookie practice duties
Minì’s outing sits inside a wider rookie schedule across Formula 1. Williams reserve Luke Browning will make his eighth and ninth career Formula 1 practice appearances in Mexico and Brazil, replacing Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz in those sessions. Mercedes will give Frederik Vesti his third outing of the season in George Russell‘s car. Freddie Slater will also complete rookie practice duties in Mexico and Brazil. The list shows how teams are spreading rookie running across the calendar while keeping their regular drivers in place for the main race weekends. It also underlines how valuable these sessions have become for young drivers trying to move up the ladder. Browning is adding to an already busy practice record, Vesti is getting another shot in a Mercedes, and Slater is set for his own pair of rookie assignments. Minì now joins that group in Alpine’s car, with his first official Formula 1 race weekend session arriving at one of the sport’s key stops of the season.
