Alpine show steady form in Monaco as Gasly returns to the top 10 and Colapinto builds confidence

Alpine enjoyed a largely uneventful but productive opening day at the Monaco Grand Prix, completing both Friday sessions cleanly and gathering valuable mileage on a circuit where rhythm and precision are everything.

The team’s headline result came from Pierre Gasly, who returned to the top 10 in FP1 and hovered just outside it in FP2, while Franco Colapinto delivered a composed performance despite a brush with the barriers in the afternoon.

The day may not have produced fireworks, but it offered Alpine a stable foundation for what will be a crucial qualifying day on Saturday.

Gasly looked comfortable from the outset, finishing P10 in FP1 with a 1:15.828 and maintaining competitive pace in FP2, where his 1:14.497 placed him 11th. More importantly, he completed both sessions without interruption — a key achievement on a track where even minor mistakes can derail a weekend.

The Frenchman was upbeat about the experience of driving the lighter, more compact 2026 machinery around Monte Carlo.

“It's good to be back in Monaco and it's always a pleasure to drive here. This year, with slightly smaller and lighter cars compared to previous seasons, it's definitely a different feeling and it's certainly still an enjoyable place to drive a Formula One car.”

Gasly emphasised the importance of a clean Friday: “We completed lots of laps today and it's always important for a smooth and consistent day in Monaco without too much interruption.”

As expected, Alpine focused heavily on low‑fuel running and qualifying preparation: “A lot of our work in Practice in Monaco is focused on low fuel and Qualifying preparation. We were there or thereabouts inside the top ten for most of the day, so clearly we are in the mix for the points-scoring positions.”

Still, Gasly acknowledged that Alpine are not quite as competitive here as at other circuits: “We probably aren't as competitive here compared to some other tracks and there's definitely a few bits for us to work on as it's not been totally straightforward.”

With Monaco’s decisive qualifying session looming, he stressed the need for overnight refinement: “We have a lot of work to do going through the data before another Practice session tomorrow as we aim to be as dialled in as possible ahead of the most important Qualifying session of the season.”

For Franco Colapinto, Friday was about building confidence on a circuit he knows well — and one he now calls home. The Argentine finished P15 in both sessions, with a 1:16.189 in FP1 and a 1:14.758 in FP2.

Colapinto described the day as solid, if not spectacular: “It's been an okay day for us in Monaco, back in Europe and back to the normal Grand Prix schedule with two Friday Practice sessions. It's always a special place to drive, especially as Monaco is where I live now.”

He acknowledged that Alpine still need to find performance: “I would say we have a bit to work on after today and certainly we need to find a step up in performance.”

But he also noted that Monaco’s unique characteristics require precision rather than sweeping setup changes: “It's such a specific and unique place compared to a lot of other circuits, so I think it will be about fine tuning a few things rather than changing anything too big.”

Colapinto echoed Gasly’s sentiment about the feel of the 2026 cars: “The car generally feels fine and it's fun to drive still with these cars now a little smaller and lighter.”

With energy recovery less of a factor here, the focus shifts to consistency: “We have less power unit management here with energy recovery and deployment so really it's about finding a more comfortable set-up and focusing on executing solid laps.”

And like Gasly, he expects Alpine to improve on Saturday: “We normally make a good step between Friday to Saturday so our aim is to be better tomorrow ahead of Qualifying.”