🇧🇭 Franco racks up mileage in Sakhir
Franco finished strongly on Friday, with plenty of learning still ahead
Published
17 Feb 2026
Est. reading time
3 min
✅ First pre-season test block completed in Bahrain
Last week marked the opening pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit, where Alpine completed a total of 318 laps across the three days, shared between Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
It was a crucial first step in 2026, focused on reliability work, adapting to the new technical regulations and gathering key data at the start of a season shaped by major changes across Formula 1, including a new car concept, revised regulations and a Mercedes power unit package.
Wednesday: early adjustments and lessons learned
Running was split between Franco in the morning and Pierre in the afternoon. The morning session presented a few teething issues typical of a brand-new car, requiring garage work and programme adjustments. Nothing unusual for a first test, but enough to limit track time.
Franco said in the team’s press release: “It wasn’t the smoothest morning for us. We had a couple of issues which shortened our programme. That’s part of testing, especially with a new car. The key is understanding them and improving for next time.”
Gasly completed 49 laps in the afternoon, helping recover valuable mileage, to what Franco added: “Pierre was able to get a solid number of laps in during the afternoon, which gives us plenty of data to analyse.”
Wednesday results
P1 Norris – 1:34.669 (58 laps)
P2 Verstappen – 1:34.798 (136)
P3 Leclerc – 1:35.190 (79)
P8 Gasly – 1:36.765 (49)
P18 Franco – 1:40.330 (28)
Thursday: data gathering and precaution
Gasly added 97 laps on day two, focusing on procedures, new systems and longer runs.
The team preferred to stop the car as a precaution after identifying an anomaly in the data: a sensible approach at this stage of the year, where reliability takes priority over lap count.
Thursday results
P1 Leclerc – 1:34.273 (139 laps)
P2 Norris – 1:34.784 (149)
P3 Bearman – 1:35.394 (130)
P7 Gasly – 1:36.723 (97)
Friday: Franco’s strongest day
Friday delivered Alpine’s highest mileage of the test, and Franco’s most productive session.
He completed 144 laps, his biggest tally of the week, marking his first full pre-season working from the outset as a race driver.
His best lap, a 1:35.806, placed him 2.137 seconds off the benchmark and stood as Alpine’s quickest time of the week.
Beyond outright pace, the focus remained on long-run consistency, set-up exploration and adapting to energy management demands under the new regulations.
Franco reflected in the official team release: “It was positive to finish the week with strong mileage. The car ran well and we covered a varied programme. We leave Bahrain with a lot to analyse and in a better place than when we started.”
Friday results
P1 Antonelli – 1:33.669 (61 laps)
P2 Russell – 1:33.918 (78)
P3 Hamilton – 1:34.209 (150)
P8 Franco – 1:35.806 (144)
📸 Franco in action in Bahrain
Overall assessment
The message from the team is measured optimism. It represents a step forward compared to 2025, but testing times do not tell the full story and many variables remain.
What matters most is mileage: the A526 improved progressively across the three days, and Franco banked crucial preparation ahead of his first race of the year.
🎁 Last chance to win
This week is your final opportunity to enter the draw to win one of three official 2025 Alpine shirts:
Empieza el 2026 con una camiseta de Alpine como la de Franco
Participa en el primer sorteo del año del Fran Club 🩵
Quiero participar
What’s next: second test block
The second and final pre-season test returns to Bahrain from 18–20 February, before the season officially begins at the Australian Grand Prix in March.
More key updates on Alpine and Franco’s Bahrain programme will feature in tomorrow’s El Box de Franco
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