Alpine has confirmed that junior driver Gabriele Mini will take over Franco Colapinto’s car for Free Practice 1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, marking the Italian's first appearance in an official Formula 1 session.
Junior Career and F1 Preparation
Mini has been part of the Alpine Academy since 2023, finishing as Formula 3 runner-up in 2024 before claiming a podium on his Formula 2 debut as a substitute in Baku. Following a demanding first full F2 campaign with Prema, he moved to MP Motorsport, where two victories and seven other podium finishes placed him fourth in the championship standings, 44 points behind Rafa Camara. While he has previously driven older Formula 1 machinery in Testing of Previous Cars programmes, the Mexico session will mark his first run in the current A526.
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Practice Objectives
Expressing gratitude to team leadership following extensive preparation on the simulator at Enstone, Mini called driving in an official session "a really special moment" after progressing through the junior ranks. He outlined that his priority in Mexico will be collecting valuable data and feedback to help the team as Pierre and Colapinto target points finishes. Several other teams are also slated to run rookie drivers during the opening Mexican Grand Prix session.
Sources: Alpine to hand junior talent debut 2026 F1 outing in Mexico.
