Colapinto Rejoices Over Canadian GP Q3 Achievement with Alpine

Franco Colapinto couldn’t have been happier after securing a spot in the top 10 for the second race in a row. During Saturday's Canadian Grand Prix qualifying, the Alpine driver made it to Q3 yet again, locking in P10 on the grid and outpacing his teammate.

The Argentine racer has been on an upswing since Miami, where he reached both SQ3 and Q3, finishing seventh in the race after benefiting from a penalty to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Colapinto carried this momentum to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, climbing from P13 to P9 in the Sprint, finishing just shy of the points behind Arvid Lindblad. He narrowly edged out Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg from Q3 by a mere 0.029 seconds.

"Today was perfect," Colapinto beamed post-qualifying. "Both the Sprint and Qualifying went really well. The race pace was strong, we were close to the points, and I was going all out from start to finish, setting solid laps."

Feeling buoyed by Alpine's efforts, he added, "I have confidence in the car and am pleased with the result. Everyone at the factory pushed hard to get us close to scoring points, and I’m proud of the team and myself. We've turned the year around after struggling initially."

Reflecting on his growing confidence, Colapinto noted, "This season feels like my first year in F1 back in 2024. We've found our pace after a rocky start, and now everything’s coming together nicely."

Meanwhile, in the other Alpine car, Pierre Gasly had a tough time. Starting from the pit lane in the Sprint, he couldn’t improve much and ended up P14 in Q2. "It’s been slow on my side," Gasly admitted, clearly frustrated. "We have work to do. Something’s not right, and I need the team to help sort it out."

Despite the contrasting fortunes within the team, Colapinto’s recent performances have certainly given Alpine something to cheer about, suggesting the team’s fortunes might be looking up.