Colapinto quietly hits the Barcelona track with Alpine | OneFootball

Franco Colapinto surprised the Formula 1 world by taking to the track this Wednesday at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, carrying out his first test of the year with Alpine. The Argentine participated in a private session of the Test of Previous Cars (TPC) program, which is reserved for single-seaters that are at least two seasons old.

The 22-year-old driver from Pilar got back behind the wheel for the first time since December 7, when the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the final round of the 2025 season, was held. In this way, Colapinto got a head start on the official start of pre-season and racked up key mileage before the official tests.

The official Formula 1 activity will begin on Monday, January 26, and will run until Friday the 30th, also at Montmeló. During those days, the teams will seek to gather as much data as possible in the context of major changes to the technical regulations for 2026. For now, Alpine has not confirmed what their work schedule will be.

Meanwhile, the French team will unveil its new single-seater, the A526, this Friday in Barcelona, at a special event that will take place aboard a boat, due to one of its main sponsors. According to reports, the design will prioritize blue over pink.

Additionally, Alpine is considering the possibility of holding a Filming Day before the start of the shared testing sessions, which could give Colapinto or Pierre Gasly a first chance to get acquainted with the brand-new model. A decision that could provide a slight advantage within the team ahead of the new season.

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