Gabriele Minì will make his official Formula 1 weekend debut with Alpine during FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, taking the wheel of the A526 as part of the rookie programme required by the regulations. After several Testing of Previous Cars sessions with machinery from the previous technical cycle, the Italian will now get his first opportunity to drive the team’s current Formula 1 car during an official race weekend.
Each team is required to field young drivers who meet the FIA’s eligibility criteria in at least four free practice sessions over the course of the season, giving drivers coming through the junior categories an opportunity to experience Formula 1 machinery. Gabriele Minì’s outing will come during the opening practice session of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
Gabriele Minì gets Alpine FP1 opportunity in Mexico
Alpine had previously entrusted the role to Paul Aron, who drove in both Hungary and Monza, but the Formula 2 break will now give Gabriele Minì the chance to get behind the wheel of the French team’s car during a Grand Prix weekend. The Sicilian joined the Alpine Academy in 2023 during his rookie Formula 3 season and came close to winning the championship in 2024 following a closely fought battle with Leonardo Fornaroli.
After a brief Formula 2 appearance at the end of 2024 in Baku, where he immediately secured a podium on his debut, Gabriele Minì continued his career in the category throughout last year and again this season. He currently sits fourth in the standings after claiming two victories and seven additional podium finishes, while also spending a significant part of the campaign among the title contenders alongside Rafael Câmara, Nikola Tsolov and Alexander Dunne.
“It’s a wonderful feeling. It’s a small dream coming true, so we’ll try to do the best job possible. I want to thank Flavio [Briatore], Steve [Nielsen] and the entire team for this opportunity and for their trust. In preparation for this FP1, we’ve done several simulator sessions and we’ve also been able to carry out track tests with last year’s cars. That means I already know the behaviour of the car and its procedures, so that will help me be ready straight away,” Gabriele Minì said.
“Sharing the track with the legends of motorsport, with all these incredibly high-level drivers, and simply having this opportunity to take part in an official Formula 1 session is a small dream coming true. At the same time, we’ll try to help the team and also show my speed on track.”
Mexico outing will also support Alpine simulator work
For Gabriele Minì, however, the Mexico City appearance is not simply an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. Driving the A526 will also give him valuable experience for the simulator work he performs to support Alpine away from race weekends or whenever he is not competing in Formula 2.
During this season, the Italian has already accumulated valuable mileage through the TPC programme, taking to the track several times in cars from the previous regulatory cycle. Those outings included sessions at Silverstone and Paul Ricard.
The experience gained with those cars has allowed Gabriele Minì to become familiar with the operational procedures of a Formula 1 team, but driving the A526 represents another step because the current car has very different characteristics from last year’s machinery. Gabriele Minì has also previously driven Nissan’s Gen3 Formula E car, gaining experience in another area of motorsport that also required him to work with energy management.
Gabriele Minì prepares for very different 2026 F1 machinery
The simulator has therefore played an important role in preparing Gabriele Minì for his first experience of Alpine’s current Formula 1 car. The Mexico City appearance will give him the chance to translate that preparation into real track experience as the 2026 Formula 1 season continues.
“The simulator helps enormously because it will be the first time I drive these cars, which are very different and definitely more complex. It’s important to understand how they react and learn how to carry out all the procedures correctly. From that point of view, it’s a huge help,” Gabriele Minì explained.
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