Franco Colapinto was P14 in qualifying for the F1 Hungarian GP after a good showing on Saturday.
Outpaced by Pierre Gasly on Friday, the driver from Argentina turned it around on Saturday. He was 0.3s faster in FP3, and backed it up by beating the Frenchman by 0.091s in Q1. Colapinto was P15, Gasly ended up 17th.
In Q2, the former Williams driver had a snap in turn 9 on his first run and the time was deleted. It meant he lost confidence for his second run. He was slowest as he lost 0.3s to his Q1 time. Kimi Antonelli losing his time gifted him P14.
Franco Colapinto on Saturday gains before losing confidence in Q2 at the F1 Hungarian GP
“Yeah, FP3 was better, it was a good step. We did try quite a lot of things with the car and it was better.
“Q1 was good, I had some traffic but it was good lap, consistent, the car was feeling better.
“And yeah, Q2 we again lost the car a little bit, I went on the direction of a little bit of inconsistency and snaps and starting to lose confidence again.
“So, just things to understand, but I think this weekend we did a good step with the car, we did try many things and they worked some. So yeah, we need to keep pushing as a team and keep getting a little bit more out of the car.
“I think this weekend we as a team struggled and it hasn’t been that easy. We have to understand why our one-lap pace is down compared to other weekends and come back stronger the next one.”
The difficulties of the A525 in 2025 according to Franco Colapinto
Sensational performances by Pierre Gasly in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, as well as in the last two Grand Prix races, masked the deficiencies of the A525.
Speaking in the print media pen after F1 Hungarian GP qualifying, Franco Colapinto says Alpine is pushing hard to try and make the car easier and more consistent to drive.
“We are working as a team hard to try and get better, I think there is a lot of work to do with the car. We are still not in an easy place, the car is not easy to drive and I think that’s the main thing we are working towards.
“[It’s about] making the car quick but also giving us a little bit more of a feeling that the car is more connected and more consistent.”
Franco Colapinto not too bothered about beating Pierre Gasly in F1 Hungarian GP qualifying
For only the second time since they became teammates, Franco Colapinto outqualified Pierre Gasly in a Grand Prix session. It’s 6-2 in favour of the Frenchman.
On a positive note for the Argentinian driver, Colapinto explained how he felt the car was consistent and predictable to drive on his side for the first time since his Alpine debut at Imola.
“No, it’s not really [a consolation to beat Gasly].
“I think the best part is that after Imola it’s the first time that I find some consistency with the car.
“I feel a bit more generally better through a corner and entry phases. I’ve been struggling quite a lot, they do feel a lot better, which is of course a good step in the right direction.
“But yeah, we need to do more work and try to show more performance with the car.”
