Overview

• Franco Colapinto failed to advance from Q1 and will start P16 for the Dutch Grand Prix after briefly holding P15 before Yuki Tsunoda bumped him out.
• His sessions swung sharply across the weekend: P18 in FP1, a season-best P9 in FP2, and last in FP3.
• Pierre Gasly, his Alpine teammate, qualified 14th as the field ran tightly on times around Zandvoort.
• Alpine adviser Flavio Briatore questioned whether Colapinto was ready for F1 and cited pressure on young drivers, while James Vowles publicly defended the Argentine and urged context.
• Team instability persists with the recent exit of aerodynamics director David Wheater and Alpine sitting last in the Constructors’ standings, as outside AI analysis estimated a 60% chance Colapinto does not keep an F1 seat in 2026.