Racer Franco Colapinto made comments following his 18th-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix
In the recently concluded 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, the Alpine F1 team faced a challenging weekend, with key issues such as a lack of pace and difficulties with car handling, particularly traction and lap consistency, causing concern.
Franco Colapinto, who started 14th and finished 18th, was one of the drivers affected by these fundamental car deficiencies. Despite reaching Q2 in the qualifying session on Saturday, Colapinto's race was marred by a bad start that allowed several rivals to snatch positions from him. He also lost control during a maneuver and veered to the right of the track, dropping him further down the grid.
Colapinto's race was also hampered by multiple blue flags, which cost him around 15-20 seconds. Additionally, he lost many positions due to a lack of grip and an early pit stop. Despite his pace being acceptable during the race, given the issues, he described the Hungarian Grand Prix as a "race to forget" and a "disaster."
Pierre Gasly, another Alpine driver, finished 19th after a 10-second penalty. He echoed Colapinto's sentiments, emphasizing that these challenges highlight Alpine's "weak spots." The team is now focusing on improving for the remainder of the 2025 season and with strong focus on 2026 development.
The team plans to use post-race testing in Budapest and the summer break to refine car performance, particularly aiming to address the traction issues and improve lap times to be more competitive in the midfield battle. The emphasis is on the collective need to enhance car setup and reliability to maximize point-scoring opportunities.
Meanwhile, other teams shone at the Hungarian Grand Prix. McLaren achieved a 1-2 finish with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, while Red Bull struggled, with Max Verstappen finishing in 9th place.
As the Formula 1 season enters its summer break, Alpine will need to work diligently to address their issues and emerge stronger for the second half of the season.
[1] Formula1.com. (2025). Hungarian Grand Prix: Race result. [online] Available at: https://www.formula1.com/en/results/2025/hungarian/race.html
[2] Autosport. (2025). Alpine struggles at Hungarian Grand Prix as Gasly finishes 19th. [online] Available at: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/alpine-struggles-at-hungarian-grand-prix-as-gasly-finishes-19th/6026146
[3] Motorsport.com. (2025). Alpine F1 team's struggles at Hungarian Grand Prix attributed to lack of pace and handling issues. [online] Available at: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alpine-f1-team-struggles-hungarian-grand-prix-lack-pace-handling-issues/6026141
Although Alpine F1 team struggled with a lack of pace and car handling issues, particularly traction and lap consistency, during the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, it was evident in the races of their drivers like Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly. Both Colapinto and Gasly described their races at the Hungarian Grand Prix as a "disaster" due to numerous challenges, including multiple blue flags, poor grip, and a bad start, which negatively impacted their positions.
