Colapinto Credits New Alpine Chassis for Historic Miami Grand Prix Result
Franco Colapinto has credited Alpine’s decision to introduce a new chassis at the Miami Grand Prix as the defining factor behind his historic weekend, which culminated in the best result for an Argentine driver in Formula 1 in 44 years.
As part of a comprehensive raft of upgrades brought by Team Enstone to Florida, Colapinto was equipped with a brand-new A526 chassis. The impact was immediate. The young Argentine delivered a stellar performance, qualifying inside the top 10 for both the Sprint and the main event, and securing a 10th-place finish in the shorter Saturday race.
A Breakthrough Weekend in Miami
The Miami Grand Prix marked a significant turning point in Colapinto's internal team battle. For the first time since the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, he successfully out-qualified his teammate, Pierre Gasly, for a grand prix.
During Sunday's race, Colapinto demonstrated exceptional pace, crossing the line in eighth place to equal his previous career-best finish, achieved with Williams at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. However, the final classification would yield an even greater reward. Following a 20-second time penalty handed to Charles Leclerc, Colapinto was promoted to seventh place.
This result carries immense historical weight: it is the highest finish by an Argentine driver in a Formula 1 Grand Prix since Carlos Reutemann claimed second place at the 1982 South African Grand Prix—a staggering 795 world championship races ago.
Alpine's Resurgence and Factory Efforts
The result in Miami marks Colapinto's second points-scoring finish of the season, following a 10th-place effort in China. It also underscores a dramatic turnaround for the resurgent Alpine squad. In just four races this season, the team has amassed 23 points, already eclipsing their total haul of 22 points from the entire 2025 campaign.
Reflecting on his landmark achievement, Colapinto was quick to highlight the tireless work of the team back at the factory.
"It has been my most perfect weekend," Colapinto told the media. "I am very happy with the weekend, it's been executed really well, and we scored strong points, so it has been a weekend to be very proud of."
He emphasized the crucial role of the hardware updates: "The team has made a very big effort to bring parts for the car, upgrades and a new chassis. It has been very hectic in the factory during the break, but also very useful."
Finding the Pace
The introduction of the new chassis appears to have unlocked a new level of confidence for the Argentine driver, allowing him to extract the maximum potential from the A526 and maintain his Miami momentum.
"I was very proud to put that performance in and show the speed of the car," Colapinto added. "I'm very grateful [to the team], and the new chassis which came has been very helpful, and I think that really helped me to find my feet a bit better and find more pace."
For Colapinto, the equation is simple: "When you have the pace, suddenly everything becomes much easier, and you're not on the back foot."
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.