Before the United States Grand Prix in Austin, BWT Alpine Formula One Team drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto spent time away from the paddock. Colapinto went horse riding on a ranch and Gasly learned to cook ribs at one of Central Texas’s best-known barbecue restaurants. Colapinto also arrived at the circuit on a borrowed MotoGP bike.
The Alpine team began its week at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) with two days of local Texan experiences before the cars took to the track. The team says the aim was to show its drivers a little of Texas life outside Formula One.
Colapinto rides a horse on a ranch outside Austin
On Wednesday afternoon, Franco Colapinto went to the Lone Star Ranch on the edge of Austin. Instead of his single-seater, he rode a horse called ‘Smoke’ around the ring.
Riding was not new to him. The team says the Argentinian has ridden horses since childhood. After a few tips from the ranch staff, he showed some Western-style manoeuvres in a traditional Texan setting.
Gasly learns to cook ribs at the Salt Lick
Pierre Gasly went to The Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, in Texas Hill Country. Thurman Roberts and his sons opened the restaurant in 1967. It is now one of the best-known names in Central Texas barbecue, famous for its open pit fired with live oak wood and its slow-cooked family recipes.
After a tour of the smokers, Gasly worked alongside the pit masters. He turned and flipped pork ribs over the open fire, then basted and coated them in the restaurant’s signature sauce. According to the team, the sauce is made with 18 different spices.
Colapinto arrives on a MotoGP bike
Colapinto stayed with the two-wheel theme on Thursday morning. He rode into the COTA paddock on a MotoGP machine borrowed from the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team. The team describes its relationship with Pramac as a friendly one.
The venue made the link fitting. COTA is one of the few circuits that hosts Formula One, MotoGP and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Alpine has a presence in all three series during 2026.
Practice begins on Friday
The drivers had a full day of media duties on Thursday. They then return to the Alpine A526 for the first free practice session, scheduled for Friday at 12:30 CDT. That session starts on-track running at the United States Grand Prix.
The team says B-roll footage from the drivers’ Texas outings is available on its media website.
Free Practice 1 for the United States Grand Prix begins on Friday at 12:30 CDT at the Circuit of The Americas.
Source: media.alpinecars.com