Franco Colapinto secured the ninth position during Friday’s opening practice session at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace, clocking a 1:12.654 ahead of Sunday’s Gran Premio de San Pablo de Fórmula 1. The Alpine driver completed 33 laps on the 4.309-kilometer circuit while managing fuel loads and tire compounds.
The first practice session brought heavy anticipation to the Interlagos paddock. Large crowds of Argentine fans gathered to support Franco Colapinto. Wearing Alpine’s blue kit, the driver carried out a comprehensive run plan that alternated between medium and soft Pirelli compounds.
How Did the Morning Practice Unfold in Interlagos
Lando Norris led the morning timesheets for McLaren with a fast lap of 1:11.717. He edged out Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes by 0.082 seconds and Max Verstappen of Red Bull, according to official timing sheets.
Colapinto spent the early portion of the hour-long session evaluating medium tires. He switched to softs for a qualifying simulation and closed with high-fuel race runs.
His teammate for the session, rookie Gabriele Minì, stepped into Pierre Gasly’s A526. Minì surprised the paddock by setting a 1:12.569 to finish seventh overall, placing two spots ahead of the Argentine.
The 21-year-old Italian rookie races for MP Motorsport in the Formula 2 championship and previously drove in Mexico. He finished 0.085 seconds ahead of Colapinto and 0.852 seconds off the pace set by Norris.
Several other rookies also took part in the morning session. Leonardo Fornaroli drove Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, Dino Beganovic drove in Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, Luke Browning drove in Carlos Sainz’s Williams, Freddie Slater drove in Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi, and Rafael Câmara made his official debut for Haas.
Colapinto’s run program began with a 14-lap stint on yellow medium tires. He set a 1m14.376s lap before a red flag stoppage caused by Freddie Slater halting his Audi in the middle of the track.
After returning to action, the Alpine driver used soft compound tires to record a lap of 1:13.140. He subsequently improved to his best mark of 1:12.654.
Behind Norris, the top positions featured Kimi Antonelli in second with 1:11.799, Max Verstappen in third with 1:11.953, Lewis Hamilton in fourth for Ferrari, and George Russell in fifth for Mercedes. Isack Hadjar finished sixth for Red Bull, while local driver Gabriel Bortoleto took eighth for Audi and Liam Lawson placed tenth for Racing Bulls.
Stewards Issue Financial Penalty to Alpine
Shortly after the chequered flag, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile published Document 16 detailing a pitlane speeding infraction. The FIA stewards determined that Colapinto’s car travelled at 80.6 km/h in a zone restricted to 80 km/h.
Because the driver exceeded the limit by 0.6 km/h, Alpine received a 100 euro fine. The minor infraction carried no sporting penalty, leaving Colapinto’s ninth-place classification intact.
The stewards noted that the infringement by car number 43 occurred at 13:10 local time and violated Article B1.6.3a of the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations. Because the excess speed was minimal and occurred without reincidence during the session, officials applied strictly a monetary penalty without altering the driver’s lap times or imposing licence penalty points.
Schedule Continues With Afternoon Practice and Saturday Qualifying
Track activity continues with the second practice session on Friday afternoon, followed by final practice and qualifying on Saturday. The Gran Premio de San Pablo main race is scheduled for Sunday at 14:00 local time, covering 71 laps around the historic anti-clockwise circuit.
The twentieth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season features broadcast coverage via Fox Sports in Argentina, Disney+ across South America, DAZN in Spain, and the official F1 TV platform.