Colapinto replaced by Alpine, misses out on Formula 1 post-season tests | OneFootball

After the conclusion of the 2025 Formula 1 season, the Argentine Franco Colapinto, who will remain a main driver for Alpine next season, was absent from the post-season tests in Abu Dhabi, where the teams tried out the new range of tires developed by Pirelli for 2026.

With Colapinto absent, the French team's duo consisted of Pierre Gasly and Kush Maini, a 25-year-old Indian who will race his fourth Formula 2 championship in 2026, this time with ART GP. The Frenchman finished 20th in the session, while the Asian driver ended up 22nd out of 25 participants.

The 22-year-old from Pilar was not the only one to miss the activity, as Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Max Verstappen (Red Bull), and George Russell (Mercedes) were also absent. Additionally, the Enstone team loaned Paul Aron, a driver from their academy, to Sauber; he finished with the second-best time at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The best of the day was the 20-year-old American Jack Crawford, at the wheel of Aston Martin's AMR25. In any case, the main drivers from the past season used “mule” cars, meaning cars adapted to test the 2026 Pirelli tires, which will be narrower.

Thus, Colapinto, who replaced the Australian Jack Doohan from the eighth round onwards, ended the season with a total of 17 Grands Prix, in which he did not score any points, as his eleventh-place finish in the Netherlands was his best performance.

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