Argentine driver Franco Colapinto says he has finally found confidence with the Alpine Formula 1 car after delivering the strongest run of his F1 career, with the Montreal upgrades appearing to play a major role in the team’s recent progress.
After securing what was then his best-ever Formula 1 finish at the Miami Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto backed up that performance with another eye-catching result in Canada, crossing the line in sixth place and improving on the seventh-place finish he achieved in Florida.
At the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the 2003-born driver made it clear that his strong display in the United States was not simply a one-off. Instead, the performance reflected growing confidence in Alpine’s Enstone-built package, combined with increasing maturity and a much stronger level of consistency behind the wheel.
The Pilar-born racer emerged in Canada as the clear “best of the rest,” excluding the drivers from Formula 1’s four leading teams. It was a highly convincing performance and an important confirmation after Miami, showing that his form is becoming a genuine trend rather than a temporary spike. For the second consecutive race weekend, Franco Colapinto comfortably finished ahead of teammate Pierre Gasly, something that was virtually unheard of during the previous campaign.
The Argentine’s progress compared to last season has been impossible to ignore. Helped by what appears to be a far more competitive Alpine A526 project, Franco Colapinto has already scored 15 championship points after just five races. By comparison, he failed to score a single point across 18 race appearances during the 2025 Formula 1 season.
The Alpine driver now appears to have found a much stronger connection with the French team’s car, aided by recent technical upgrades that have improved the package significantly. His comfort level behind the wheel has increased to the point where he is now regularly outperforming an experienced and unquestionably quick teammate.
Speaking after the race, Franco Colapinto made no secret of his satisfaction and suggested this result could be only the start of a much stronger run in 2026.
“I’m really happy. I think it was a great result for us as a team. Obviously, double points for the team. We still have a lot of work to do, but this weekend was very positive. Obviously, I’m excited for the future and very happy with this result. We need to celebrate a little and be very happy.”
“We keep pushing in the same direction. I think, as a team, we are really strong now and personally we are maximising every session, which makes me very proud and happy with the team. We just need to keep going this way.”
Franco Colapinto also expressed confidence that Alpine’s recent momentum can continue, placing strong trust in the progress the French outfit has made over recent weeks.
“We need to keep pushing and I’m sure we’ll achieve even better results than this. Personally, I’m very happy with my best result. It was a very solid weekend without free practice. It was difficult to start a sprint weekend like that, without practice and going straight into qualifying without any laps. But I think, despite everything, we made the most of the race weekend. That makes me very happy and proud of the team. Today we scored a lot of points, we were really fast. We had strong pace, so we’re looking forward to seeing what happens next.”
Perhaps the strongest confirmation that Alpine’s recent gains are genuine came from Franco Colapinto himself, as he insisted his improved form is no accident and credited the Enstone team for helping him unlock his performance.
“I think this proves it’s not a coincidence. From now on, I’ll be much more consistent. I’m very happy with all the effort everyone at Enstone has put in to help me find the rhythm and performance. I’m very proud of that. Of course, we need to keep delivering high-level performances.”
Franco Colapinto also shared his thoughts on what could be an especially demanding Monaco Grand Prix under the 2026 Formula 1 regulations. The Argentine believes the new generation of cars could make Monte Carlo even more challenging than in previous seasons, due to reduced downforce compared to last year and significantly more power delivery when exiting slow-speed corners.
According to Franco Colapinto, the combination could make the cars extremely difficult to manage around the principality’s tight and unforgiving layout, despite a likely reduction in top-end straight-line performance.
“I did a few laps in the simulator. I’m not sure exactly how the energy situation will be, but from what I know, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be very fast on the straights. That’s because clipping should arrive earlier than at other circuits.”
“But then we have so much power coming out of corners because we have all the deployment available, which makes it really strange how much torque you have at low speed on a circuit that is already pretty tricky and should probably be more manageable. We’ll see how it goes. I hope it feels much more natural and better.”
The Monaco weekend should therefore provide another major test for Franco Colapinto. If confidence in a Formula 1 car matters anywhere, it is around Monte Carlo’s barriers, where precision and trust in the machinery are absolutely essential. That makes the next round the perfect opportunity to determine whether Alpine’s young Argentine star has truly turned a corner—or whether the last two Grands Prix were simply a short-lived surge in form.
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