Alpine F1 team and Franco Colapinto took part on the first day of F1’s first closed-door shakedown week at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on January 26. This five-day shakedown represented the opening act of the 2026 regulation era, with teams permitted to run on a maximum of three days. The test preceded two official public pre-season tests coming up in Bahrain in February before the season commences in Australia on March 6.
Colapinto was entrusted with the full first day, logging 60 laps and ending the Barcelona shakedown session third on the unofficial timesheets. His best effort placed him just over two seconds adrift of Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.
Speaking to F1.com about his first ever pre season running day, Colapinto spoke:
“Yeah, good. I’m very happy to be in my first full season with a new car, new regulations, so the cars are very different. There are big changes, and that’s always exciting. The team has done a very good job in bringing the car here to this test.”
Alpine have switched to Mercedes powertrains from this year and are very optimistic as there is an air of positivity surrounding the Mercedes Power Trains. However, the Enstone team ran into delays in early January after a lack of timely engine data from Mercedes stalled system integration, pushing its first shakedown back from January 11 to later in the month.
This meant a tighter preparation window and far less room for error heading into the closed test. The 21-year-old was quick to praise the efforts of Alpine’s factory personnel saying:
“It’s been very tight for everyone, and the boys and girls in Enstone did a very big effort. And yeah, we are very grateful for it and happy to start to work with this new car right here.”
Franco Colapinto speaks about his first ever pre-season programme in F1 at Barcelona shakedown
For the Williams graduate, this represents his first proper pre-season programme after his truncated introduction to F1 in 2025. The value of extended running wasn’t lost on the young driver.
“Yeah, it’s very different. But of course, it is what I was needing in the previous years. And with this mileage and this running and all the learnings early in the season, it is very useful.”
Around 10 AM in the morning, Colapinto triggered a red flag shortly after 10 am. The stoppage, later traced to a sensor-related issue rather than a mechanical failure, brought his running to a halt on track. With new power unit architecture, revised energy management systems and active aerodynamics, such electronic teething problems are neither unusual nor alarming. The car was quickly recovered, the issue addressed in the garage, and Alpine resumed its programme without further interruption.
He stressed that the focus remains on accumulation rather than performance chasing, with Bahrain’s official pre-season tests looming in February.
Franco Colapinto speaks on how the new generation differs from its predecessors
The 2026 regulations have introduced substantial changes to Formula 1’s technical landscape, with entirely new power unit configurations, active aerodynamic systems, and revised energy management protocols. Colapinto outlined just how different the new machinery feels compared to previous generations.
“They are very different. I mean, at the end of the day, it still is a racecar and you need to drive it quick within the grip that is available, and that’s very similar.
“They are very different. I mean, at the end of the day, it still is a racecar and you need to drive it quick within the grip that is available, and that’s very similar. But at the end of the day, the technique is changing a little bit. The energy management, the tyres are much, much thinner, smaller.”
With two further days of running available during the Barcelona test window and two official three-day tests scheduled for Bahrain in mid-February, Colapinto remained focused on maximising Alpine’s development trajectory ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.
“And then I think, as far as we work well with the team, we’ll have a good result in Melbourne. Our focus is there. I think focus on ourselves and try to make the most out of the early days on track.”
