🏁THE FIRST POINT WITH ALPINE – EL BOX DE FRANCO

Let’s celebrate this huge milestone for Franco and his team

Published

18 Mar 2026

Est. reading time

3 min

🇨🇳 A point that means a lot

The Chinese Grand Prix delivered a special moment for the FranClub: Franco Colapinto scored his first point with Alpine in Formula 1. The Argentine finished P10 at the Shanghai circuit, after a very eventful race that included a Safety Car, different strategies and several on-track battles.

Let’s celebrate it with the whole FranClub

That’s why we have a very special collectible, available for only a few days.

Collect now

China Point 2026

Celebra el punto que consiguió Franco en el GP de China 2026 con este coleccionable

So how did the race unfold?

Here is a quick summary of Franco’s key moments: - Started P12 on hard tyres, which allowed him to gain positions during the Safety Car and reach P2 behind Antonelli. - Pit stop on lap 32 → medium tyres. - Exiting the pits: contact with OCO, but he kept pushing flat out. - Found himself behind SAI in P11 and focused on catching him. - VER retired, promoting Franco to P10, securing the final available point while still pushing for P9. Alpine was one of the few teams, along with Mercedes and Ferrari, to score points with both drivers.

How points are awarded in Formula 1

In the main Sunday races, only the top ten drivers score points: 1°: 25 points 2°: 18p 3°: 15p 4°: 12p 5°: 10p 6°: 8p 7°: 6p 8°: 4p 9°: 2p 10°: 1p

That single point for Franco may seem small, but every point counts towards two championships at the same time: - The Drivers’ Championship. - The Constructors’ Championship, where both cars contribute to the team total.

What about Sprints like the one in China?

On some race weekends there are also Sprint races, shorter races held on Saturday. Points are awarded there as well, but only to the top eight drivers: P1 receives 8 points, decreasing down to 1 point for P8.

And the “fastest lap” point?

For several years Formula 1 also awarded an extra point for the fastest lap, as long as the driver finished inside the top ten. However, that rule was removed starting in 2025, meaning only final race positions count today. Who knows, it could return in the future, as Formula 1 history has seen periods where the rule disappeared and later came back.

🩵 Another step in his Formula 1 journey

This point also carries symbolic value: it is Franco’s first with Alpine and it comes in only the second race weekend of the season.

Franco had already scored five Formula 1 points with Williams in 2024: - P8 in Azerbaijan (4p) - P10 in the United States (1p) But doing it with a new team always marks an important moment for a driver. It means the work is starting to pay off and that the goal of fighting for points on a regular basis is getting closer.

We’ll soon share the best fan reactions to his performance from last weekend

If you haven’t posted yours yet, share it with #FranClub43 so we don’t miss it 🔥

GENERAL

REDES SOCIALES

APOYO

APLICACIONES