Overview
- Franco Colapinto placed 16th in FP3 at Albert Park, with George Russell quickest ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, while Pierre Gasly finished 15th.
- The FIA stewards reviewed Colapinto’s FP2 slow‑car incident and, after hearing the team and examining footage, ruled no further action was warranted.
- In FP2, a sudden loss of power on the main straight forced Hamilton to take evasive action, capping a difficult day that left Alpine more than two seconds off the leaders.
- Colapinto was 16th in FP1 and 18th in FP2, and he also suffered a heavy lock‑up and off at Turn 3 without damaging the car.
- The rookie reported minor eye irritation from dry‑ice residue after FP2 and said it was being treated, as Alpine pursues setup and reliability gains under the new 2026 regulations with reduced grip and altered hybrid deployment.