Overview

• After placing 18th in FP1, Franco Colapinto improved to ninth in FP2 at Zandvoort, finishing 1.067 seconds off Lando Norris for his best practice result with Alpine.
• The second session was disrupted by incidents and red flags involving Lance Stroll and Alex Albon, while teammate Pierre Gasly ended 19th after running a different approach on medium tyres.
• Alpine executive Flavio Briatore said Colapinto is under too much pressure and suggested the promotion may have come too soon.
• Williams team principal James Vowles defended the Argentine, arguing that easing expectations helps young drivers perform and citing Colapinto’s strong early outings when pressure was lower.
• Despite the encouraging lap, Colapinto remains without championship points this season and Alpine sits last in the constructors’ standings on 20 points, with reliability and consistency concerns noted by observers.