Formula 1 sets in motion three crucial days of testing in Sakhir before the debut in Australia, with Alpine organizing its plan and Franco Colapinto as the central piece at the start
Formula 1 begins a decisive stretch of its 2026 preseason in Bahrain. At the Sakhir circuit, teams have three days of testing to start understanding how the new cars operate before the official debut in Australia. In that context, Alpine defined its work structure and Franco Colapinto will be in charge of opening the activity for the French team.
The series arrives at this stage after an initial outing in Barcelona, where the organizations began to get familiar with the single-seaters developed under the new technical regulations. Now, with open testing and a schedule divided into morning and afternoon sessions, the goal is to log mileage, gather data, and evaluate reliability in conditions closer to race scenarios.
Each day in Sakhir consists of two four-hour stints and, as the rules state, only one car per team may run on track. That limitation requires precise planning. In Alpine’s case, the split provides for Colapinto to drive in the opening session of the first day, while Pierre Gasly will take over in the afternoon. Then, the Frenchman will complete a full day and the finale will once again be in the hands of the Argentine driver during both sessions.
The strategy responds to the need to balance experience and adaptation at a stage where the focus is not on quick lap times. The main purpose is to understand the car’s overall behavior, test basic configurations, and detect potential issues before the official calendar begins.
For Colapinto, this stage represents a new opportunity to consolidate his role within the team in a year marked by deep technical changes. His task is to provide clear feedback to the engineers, adapt to the demands of the new package, and contribute to the project’s initial development.
The Bahrain tests are part of the first block of official running and precede the second round, which will also take place at the same track. Only after completing that work will Formula 1 travel to Melbourne to start the season.
With the renewed regulations and multiple questions yet to be answered, every run on track takes on strategic value. Alpine approaches these days with the goal of building a solid foundation from the outset, while Colapinto takes on a key role at the start of the testing program.
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