Franco Colapinto reveals important career-first ahead of full-time F1 campaign

Franco Colapinto has revealed that, for the first time in his motorsport career, he finally had a “proper off-season” ahead of his first full-time Formula 1 campaign.

For the past two seasons, Colapinto has found himself stepping into a seat mid-year. In 2024, he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams following the Dutch Grand Prix, before taking Jack Doohan’s seat at Alpine from Imola onwards last year.

With him remaining at Alpine for 2026, Colapinto has undergone his first winter break as an F1 driver, allowing him to become even more integrated with the Enstone-based outfit.

Not only that, but Friday afternoon’s launch of Alpine’s A526 was Colapinto’s first in the pinnacle of motorsport, highlighting how relatively inexperienced the 22-year-old still is.

The new power unit regulations mark the start of a new era for Alpine, with the team now a Mercedes customer outfit — and also presenting a huge opportunity for Colapinto.

Colapinto finds himself on a level playing field, with him and all the drivers starting from scratch with the new cars.

"Firstly, I am so excited," said Colapinto. "For the first time in my career, I have had a proper off-season in preparation for a full-time year right from testing and the first race. 

"For me, this is really important as I feel a real part of the project and it means I can really work hard with everyone at the team from the beginning.

"We have had a good chance to see the car and prepare on the simulator. Of course, it is very different to anything I have experienced so far and I think that is the same for most drivers on the grid. There are new tricks and new challenges to learn to extract the most from the package and I see that as a truly amazing challenge.

"I know everyone at the team is extremely motivated to have a good season. I will just try to learn as much as possible in the early races, keep building, keep growing and hopefully that will mean we can be competitive as a team."