Argentine driver Franco Colapinto will have his first official track outing of 2026 on Sunday, January 11, when he drives the Alpine A526 for the first time. The Argentine will thus begin his third season in Formula 1, again as teammate to Frenchman Pierre Gasly, in a key session to start building rhythm and reducing anxiety ahead of a decisive year. The event will take place at the Barcelona-Catalan circuit, behind closed doors, under the Filming Day format established by the FIA regulations. In this type of promotional event, teams can run up to 100 kilometers with special Pirelli tires and the official ECU, with no sporting value to the times and no performance data being revealed. In addition to the Filming Day, Alpine will also conduct a brief shakedown, an additional technical test that cannot exceed 15 kilometers. For this session, the A526 will feature an all-black livery, designed to hide aerodynamic and aesthetic details that will only be revealed at the car's official presentation on January 23. This event will mark the formal start of Colapinto's preseason, which will continue with private Formula 1 tests in Barcelona from January 26 to 30. There, the Argentine driver will aim to solidify his position in the team, accumulate valuable kilometers, and begin building a 2026 in which Alpine is betting on a performance leap after a 2025 season that fell far short of expectations.
