Franco Colapinto Shares Reasons for Optimism in the Remaining F1 Season

F1 news comes from Franco Colapinto, who highlights the main reason for his confidence in the remaining F1 calendar after enjoying a phenomenal weekend for Alpine in Miami. The Argentine driver heads to the Canadian Grand Prix with his best seventh-place finish in his career in Florida, where he helped the 'Tim Enstone' team surpass the total points of 2025 in just four rounds of the campaign.

The improvement on the A526 and setup adjustments allowed the French team to easily outperform their mid-field competitors, and Colapinto himself was able to outdo Pierre Gasly for the first time this year. The 22-year-old driver managed to beat his teammate in both qualifying sessions and generally performed impressively in the Sunshine State.

'It's clearly much better, and I think we're all relieved with the improvements we've made, and we were very strong in Miami, not just in one session, but throughout the weekend,' Colapinto told the media in Montreal, including RacingNews365, when asked about his confidence level now.

'It shows that what we've done [in terms of improvements and setup] is paying off, so I think overall this is part of a good weekend because we scored points with both cars; it's a much better weekend because of how strong we were, so I think this clearly gives us more confidence heading into Canada.'

Colapinto will also receive a new rear wing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which was only on Gasly's car in Miami. However, even without that part, he feels much more satisfied with the overall performance.

'I think the overall package is better,' added the Alpine driver. 'We have some small improvements [here], which are also good. We've focused on the right areas that we've been trying to find since a few races ago, and now we feel that we're targeting the right things, and that, of course, is good.'

He also quickly pointed out that, after replacing Jack Doohan from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix last year, he has competed in every venue that returns — except for the new round in Madrid — in the schedule for the rest of the 2026 calendar, something that also gives him confidence.

'I know this track — this is also the first track this year that I know, and from now on, all the tracks I visit, which is also very positive,' said Colapinto.

'And yes, [I'm] in a much happier place, which is a good start, and yes, definitely more confident heading into this race.'