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After 'Mostly Positive' Bahrain Test, Alpine Turns to Final Sessions With Colapinto in Strong Form

With data collection the priority under 2026 rules, Alpine enters the Feb. 18–20 Bahrain tests publicly backing the rookie's progress.

Overview

  • Franco Colapinto logged 144 laps on the final Bahrain test day and placed eighth in the session with a reported best of 1:35.806.
  • Alpine completed 318 laps over the three‑day block, which team director Steve Nielsen described as mostly positive with learning prioritized over outright pace.
  • The first day was curtailed for Colapinto by a technical failure the team attributed to an internal error that forced him to stop on track.
  • A low‑speed slide during tyre‑warming drew criticism from Ralf Schumacher, but the episode caused no damage and testing continued.
  • The final official pre‑season sessions run in Bahrain on Feb. 18–20, with Alpine focused on reliability checks, long‑run rhythm and setup work before Australia in early March.