Franco Colapinto has highlighted a key reason for confidence across the rest of the F1 calendar after enjoying a breakthrough weekend for Alpine in Miami.
The Argentine driver heads into the Canadian Grand Prix off the back of a career-best seventh-place finish in Florida, where he helped ‘Team Enstone’ surpass its 2025 points total just four rounds into the campaign.
Upgrades to the A526 and set-up improvements saw the French squad comfortably have the measure over its midfield rivals, and Colapinto himself had the edge over Pierre Gasly for the first time this year.
The 22-year-old outqualified his team-mate in both grid-setting sessions and generally impressed in the Sunshine State.
“It’s definitely much better, and I think we all have a bit of relief because of the improvements we made, and we were so strong in Miami, not in one session, but in the whole of the weekend…,” Colapinto told the media in Montreal, including ApexF1News, when asked how much more confidence he now has.
“It shows that what we did [upgrade and set-up wise] paid off, so I think generally it’s been a part of a good weekend, because we scored points with both cars; it was a much better weekend because of how strong we were, so I think definitely it gives us more confidence coming into Canada.”
Colapinto will also be blessed with the new rear wing at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which was only on Gasly’s car in Miami.
But even without that part, he was significantly happier with the performance overall.
“I think the whole package was better,” the Alpine driver added. “We have some little upgrades [here], which is also good.
“We have focused on the right areas that we’ve been trying to find since a couple of races ago, and now we feel that we are aiming at the right things, and that’s, of course, good.”
He was also quick to point out that, having replaced Jack Doohan from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix onwards last year, he has competed at every returning venue — bar the new round in Madrid — on the schedule for the rest of the 2026 calendar, something that also gives him confidence.
“I know the track — it is also the first track of the year that I know, and from now on, it’s all tracks that I’ve been at, which is also very positive,” Colapinto said.
“And yeah, [I’m] in a much happier place, which is a good start, and yeah, definitely more confidence coming into this race.”
