Franco Colapinto has experienced a significant setback during a tyre test in Hungary, crashing his car but fortunately escaping injury.
Incident Details
[IMAGE0CONTEXT:bmw_a525] Colapinto lost control of his A525 at Turn 11 on the second day of a private testing session for Pirelli’s 2026-spec tyres. Although the car sustained considerable damage, Colapinto was unharmed and was cleared at the medical center. A team statement confirmed, “During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11. Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK.”
Testing Context
The two-day test, which took place after the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, involved four teams—Alpine, Ferrari, McLaren, and Racing Bulls—testing narrower prototype tyres that are set to debut under Formula 1’s new regulations in 2026. Colapinto was sharing testing responsibilities with his teammate Pierre Gasly, but his crash cut his running short on Wednesday morning.
Rising Pressure
This incident adds to the mounting pressure on the 22-year-old Argentine driver, who has yet to score a point since taking over from Jack Doohan at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Colapinto has faced challenges, including two crashes during qualifying and being outqualified by Gasly seven times in their nine races as teammates. Although he demonstrated improvement in Hungary by outqualifying and finishing ahead of Gasly for only the second time since joining the grid, this latest setback comes at a challenging moment. There are rumors of Valtteri Bottas being linked to Alpine as a potential replacement, possibly even before the season concludes.
Current Standings
Alpine currently sits at the bottom of the constructors’ standings with 20 points, trailing ninth-placed Haas by 15 points.