Colapinto’s Alpine journey hits another new low

Franco Colapinto’s troubled stint at Alpine has suffered another setback, as the young Argentine crashed during a crucial tyre test at the Hungaroring on Wednesday.

While many drivers have begun their summer break, 22-year-old Colapinto and others remained in Hungary to take part in Pirelli’s post-race testing.

The session involved a modified Alpine simulating elements of the upcoming 2026 technical regulations, but during the test, Colapinto lost the car at Turn 11 and hit the barriers.

“Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK,” an Alpine spokesperson said.

Pirelli later clarified that the accident had “not related to the tyres”. Still, Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that the Alpine was “destroyed”, and correspondent Alessandro Miglio pulled no punches in his evaluation.

“Colapinto's return to Formula 1 has been disastrous,” he said. “The Argentine has failed to score a single point and been involved in several accidents, which will impact Alpine's development due to the budget cap. Not the best outcome for a team seeking redemption.”

Colapinto joined Alpine mid-season on loan from Williams in a high-profile move orchestrated by Flavio Briatore, replacing Jack Doohan. However, with speculation that his race seat is being evaluated round-by-round, the pressure continues to rise.