Franco Colapinto reached Q3 and will start the Spanish Grand Prix from ninth, his strongest Saturday of the weekend so far for BWT Alpine Formula One Team. Team-mate Pierre Gasly had a tougher session and lines up 14th after struggling for grip. Alpine says the unfamiliar layout could make Sunday’s race unpredictable.
BWT Alpine Formula One Team leaves qualifying for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix with a split result. Franco Colapinto made it into the top-ten shootout and set a 1:32.903 for ninth on the grid, while Pierre Gasly was eliminated earlier and qualified 14th with a 1:33.753.
The pattern was similar in final practice. Colapinto was 11th with a 1:34.346, with Gasly 16th on a 1:34.971.
Colapinto builds through the weekend
Colapinto described Friday as difficult and said the team worked its way towards a better balance before Saturday afternoon.
“I am very proud to be in Q3 today. Yesterday was tricky, I did not feel 100% in the car and we have had to work hard as a team to find improvements and build up our confidence all the way up to Qualifying. In the end, I did some of my best laps and that is good enough for P9 on the grid for tomorrow’s race,” he said.
The Argentine added that the circuit does not flatter the car: “It’s definitely a difficult track and we know it does not suit our package too well, so we have really had to take things step by step.” He also reported a fast moment at Turn 12 that he had to catch during the session.
Gasly searching for answers
Gasly went into qualifying expecting to fight for the top ten, but said the car behaved very differently once the session began.
“I just seemed to struggle with grip and the car was sliding around quite a lot and really a handful to drive. It feels like something is not right and I am sure the team and I will sit down and really try to understand why we were too slow in Qualifying,” the Frenchman said.
He pointed to Friday’s long-run work as a reason for optimism, saying the team’s high-fuel pace in Free Practice 2 was promising and that his aim is to climb back into the points from 14th.
A race of attrition?
Managing Director Steve Nielsen said the team knew it faced a close fight with Racing Bulls and Audi for a Q3 place, and that ninth — ahead of Arvid Lindblad — was probably the maximum available.
“We’ve seen from other races and support series here, this layout can throw up a few unknowns and it could be a race of attrition tomorrow. So, we need to stay focused and be there at the end to score as many points as we can,” Nielsen said.
Both drivers flagged the same concern: overtaking may be limited, which puts extra weight on grid position and strategy. For a team running in the tight midfield, a single points finish can swing the constructors’ standings, and Alpine’s stated target for Sunday is simple — convert Colapinto’s top-ten start and recover Gasly from further back.
The Spanish Grand Prix runs on Sunday.
Source: media.alpinecars.com