BWT Alpine Formula One Team completed 105 laps across the two Friday practice sessions for the Italian Grand Prix, but neither car cracked the top ten in the afternoon. Franco Colapinto was the team’s quickest runner in both sessions, while reserve driver Paul Aron took over Pierre Gasly’s A526 for Free Practice 1. Gasly says the timesheets flatter the field around him and that Q3 remains realistic.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team got through a full Friday programme at Monza, covering 105 laps and 608 km between three drivers. Franco Colapinto did the bulk of the mileage with 55 laps and 319 km, Pierre Gasly managed 27 laps and 156 km after sitting out the opening session, and Paul Aron added 23 laps and 133 km in his outing.

How the sessions unfolded

In Free Practice 1, Colapinto ended the hour ninth on 1min 24.028secs, with Aron tenth on 1min 24.177secs in Gasly’s car. The afternoon brought quicker lap times but no better positions: Colapinto was eleventh with a 1min 23.619secs, and Gasly fourteenth on 1min 23.773secs.

Tyre allocation varied by driver. Gasly ran the C3 and C5 compounds, Colapinto worked through C3, C4 and C5, and Aron used the C4 and C5.

Gasly plays down the timesheets

Gasly gave up his Free Practice 1 running to Aron and watched from the garage, then returned to the car for the second session. He argues the order does not tell the whole story.

“In terms of my session in the car in Free Practice 2, I don’t think the leaderboard is an accurate reflection of our actual performance. There is some potential in the car here and I think the battle for the top ten will be close. We’ll have a few changes to make to find some improvements, and I am confident we can be in the mix for Q3.”

The Frenchman also referred to news of the Monaco Grand Prix result that reached the team earlier in the day, saying he was disappointed but focused only on the current weekend. The release does not explain what that result was.

Colapinto chasing grip

Colapinto had the stronger morning of the two race drivers, reporting that his medium-tyre run put him inside the top five before a compromised soft-tyre run. The afternoon went the other way.

“I seemed to lack more grip, especially at corner apexes, so we need to understand why,” he said, pointing to hot conditions as one possible factor. He described the leaderboard as tight all day, with small gains likely to translate into meaningful position changes.

Aron banks data for the team

Aron’s Free Practice 1 appearance was a data-gathering exercise, and he said both of his push laps on softs were compromised by traffic — a familiar issue at Monza, where slipstreams and short lap times make clean air scarce. A red flag cost further running, but the team completed most of its planned programme. The Estonian noted that the President of Estonia attended the session, and said he was heading back to Alpine’s Enstone base for simulator work overnight.

What it means

With the midfield covered by fractions of a second at a circuit where slipstreaming can swing a lap time on its own, Alpine’s Friday leaves the team on the edge of the Q3 cut rather than comfortably inside it. Set-up changes overnight and the traffic lottery in qualifying will decide which side of that line the A526 lands on.

Facts: Alpine Italian Grand Prix Friday

  • Total laps: 105 (Gasly 27, Colapinto 55, Aron 23)
  • Total distance: 608 km (Gasly 156 km, Colapinto 319 km, Aron 133 km)
  • FP1: Colapinto P9, 1min 24.028secs; Aron P10, 1min 24.177secs
  • FP2: Colapinto P11, 1min 23.619secs; Gasly P14, 1min 23.773secs
  • Tyres: Gasly C3 and C5; Colapinto C3, C4 and C5; Aron C4 and C5
  • Car: Alpine A526

Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix follows on Saturday.

Source: media.alpinecars.com