Overview
- Alpine officially confirmed Franco Colapinto as a 2026 race driver alongside Pierre Gasly in an Interlagos announcement.
- The agreement is reported to run through 2026 with extension clauses, with specific terms not disclosed by the team.
- Colapinto qualified 16th for the São Paulo Sprint after narrowly missing SQ2 and started from that position.
- He retired on lap six following an off-track incident, while Lando Norris won the Sprint and Gasly scored a point for Alpine.
- Alpine prioritized development for the 2026 rules reset, with multiple reports pointing to a switch to Mercedes power, and timed a numerology-themed 10:43 reveal that drew strong Argentine fan response online and at Interlagos.