Argentina back in F1: Colapinto’s season opener preview | OneFootball

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·5 March 2026

Argentina back in F1: Colapinto’s season opener preview

Article image:Argentina back in F1: Colapinto’s season opener preview

This weekend, the Albert Park circuit will be the stage for a milestone in national sports: Franco Colapinto begins his first full season in Formula 1. At the wheel of Alpine’s brand-new A526, the driver from Pilar arrives in Melbourne with the goal of establishing himself in the highly competitive midfield and capitalizing on the potential shown during preseason testing in Bahrain.

After a transitional 2025, in which the French team prioritized the development of the car under the new technical regulations, the signs are optimistic. “We want to be there, in the midfield group,” said Colapinto (22 years old), who acknowledged that while Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren maintain a clear gap, the order of the rest is a mystery that only qualifying will clarify.

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Key Points of Franco Colapinto’s Debut in 2026:

  • The Realistic Goal: To fight wheel-to-wheel in the midfield to score points. Alpine is shaping up as the main challenger to the “big four.”
  • Adaptation: The Argentine faces the additional challenge of racing on tracks where he has never driven in the top category, such as Albert Park and China (which will also feature the Sprint format).
  • The Quote: “We worked very well together and covered all the test points. If we can fight in the midfield group, it would be a step forward compared to last year.”
  • Record National Presence: Argentina will have representatives in every rung of the FIA “ladder” this weekend:                                   -Formula 1: Franco Colapinto (Alpine).                                   -Formula 2: Nicolás Varrone (Van Amersfoort Racing).                                   -Formula 3:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

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