BWT Alpine Formula One Team leaves São Paulo with two valuable points — and, more importantly, a sense of momentum returning.
While Pierre Gasly kept the team’s colors firmly in the top ten, the weekend also brought a major announcement: Franco Colapinto has been confirmed for the 2026 season.
That renewal brings a much-needed dose of stability to a team searching for continuity after a turbulent year. The young Argentinian will remain a key piece in Alpine’s long-term rebuild around Enstone’s technical structure.
On track, Pierre Gasly delivered consistency and precision throughout the weekend, while Franco Colapinto endured a more chaotic few days between a Sprint crash, an overnight rebuild, and a difficult race. Still, Alpine’s overall performance in Brazil suggested the car — and the team — are heading the right way again.
BWT Alpine Formula One Team : Practice – building a solid base
From the first laps on Friday, Pierre Gasly looked comfortable. The Frenchman found balance straight away and set the 7th-fastest time (1:10.681) after a productive 33-lap run.
The A525 felt composed in both high-speed corners and traction zones — areas that had often exposed its weaknesses earlier this year.
Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, completed 30 laps and finished 16th (1:11.160). His program focused on aerodynamic correlation and rear-end stability rather than outright pace.
The engineers at Enstone noted clear improvements in mechanical grip and tyre temperature management, both crucial on a short and twisty circuit like Interlagos.
Qualifying – Pierre Gasly shines, Franco Colapinto fights on
The rain everyone expected never arrived, leaving a fully dry qualifying session.
Pierre Gasly built on his strong Sprint performance to deliver one of his sharpest showings of the season. With a clean, confident lap of 1:10.002, he reached Q3 for the first time since Silverstone, securing ninth on the grid.
The A525 finally looked predictable and competitive on the dry track — a welcome change for the team.
For Franco Colapinto, Saturday was all about resilience. After his heavy Sprint crash, Alpine’s mechanics rebuilt an entirely new car overnight using a spare chassis and an older power unit.
Understandably short on mileage and confidence, the Argentinian exited in Q1, placing 18th (1:10.632). Even so, the speed and precision of the rebuild earned praise across the paddock — proof of Alpine’s teamwork and determination.
Race – one point, but a real fight
Sunday’s race brought heat, strategy, and tension.
Pierre Gasly fought hard all afternoon to claim 10th place, earning Alpine another point to go with the one from the Sprint.
It was a solid drive, but a slightly frustrating one — the A525 seemed quick enough to aim for seventh had circumstances aligned better.
The Frenchman started on used softs, then switched to medium tyres for two further stints. Both pit stops were executed in under three seconds, highlighting Enstone’s operational sharpness.
But overtaking proved a headache once again. Pierre Gasly spent lap after lap bottled up behind Isack Hadjar, unable to make a move stick despite several bold attempts.
Traffic later in the race cost him valuable time and prevented him from catching Liam Lawson and Nico Hülkenberg, who were running a one-stop strategy on worn tyres.
In the closing laps, Gasly found himself in a fierce midfield brawl — cars wheel-to-wheel, elbows out, yet barely shown on TV. He held his ground to the flag, bringing home a single but meaningful point that underscored Alpine’s progress.
Franco Colapinto endured a tougher afternoon. Starting 16th, he struggled with rear-end grip and heavy tyre degradation, finishing 15th.
In front of a passionate crowd cheering his every move, the Argentinian never stopped pushing, even if the pace wasn’t there. The rebuilt car never quite recaptured the balance he’d enjoyed earlier in the weekend.
They said
Pierre Gasly (10th)
“Even though I’m happy to have scored another point today, I’m a bit disappointed not to have taken more, because I feel the car had more pace than we were able to show.
A better track position earlier might have helped us at the end of the race. That said, I won’t complain — we’ll gladly take the point considering our level in recent races. I spent most of the race fighting with Isack [Hadjar].
I passed him twice at Turn 1 and he got me back twice on the run to Turn 4. It could have gone either way. In the final laps I just had to hold on to keep the last point, and it was very close.
Overall, it’s been a very good weekend with consistent top-ten pace. Brazil seems to suit me well! Now we’ll take a short break before preparing for the final triple-header back at Enstone.”
Franco Colapinto (15th)
“It was always going to be tough from where we started, and it turned into a long afternoon managing tyres and running in dirty air.
The rain this morning went away, so everyone ended up on similar two-stop strategies. In the end we finished more or less where we started, without being able to climb back. After the Sprint and the full rebuild, we struggled more and never found the same feeling or rhythm.
The car felt less stable and was sliding more, so we had to watch tyre degradation carefully. There’s a lot for us to analyse so we can come back stronger in Las Vegas.
We expected more this weekend, but the fans were incredible — I really felt their energy. Congrats to the team and to Pierre for another point that really lifts everyone’s spirits.”
Steve Nielsen (team principal)
“It’s another point on the board and a race where we were competitive against teams that have generally been faster than us this season.
Pierre delivered an exceptional performance with real fighting spirit, especially at the end when he had to defend hard for the final point. Franco also showed good pace at times and closed in on the pack battling for points in his last stint.
It’s a weekend we need to study carefully to understand this step forward. There’s still work to do, but we’ll keep pushing — and with three races left, we can head to Las Vegas with renewed confidence.”
São Paulo Grand Prix 2025 – results summary
| Session | Driver | Position | Best lap / time | Laps completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free practice | Pierre Gasly | 7th | 1:10.681 | 33 |
| Franco Colapinto | 16th | 1:11.160 | 30 | |
| Sprint qualifying | Pierre Gasly | 13th | 1:09.852 | — |
| Franco Colapinto | 16th | 1:10.441 | — | |
| Sprint race | Pierre Gasly | 8th | 1:13.155 | — |
| Franco Colapinto | DNF | 1:14.056 | — | |
| Grand Prix qualifying | Pierre Gasly | 9th | 1:10.002 | — |
| Franco Colapinto | 18th | 1:10.632 | — | |
| Race | Pierre Gasly | 10th | 1:13.736 | — |
| Franco Colapinto | 15th | 1:12.816 | — |
Conclusion
Beyond the numbers, the São Paulo weekend marked genuine progress for BWT Alpine Formula One Team.
Pierre Gasly rediscovered his consistency, Franco Colapinto secured his future with the team, and Steve Nielsen saw a united outfit responding with energy and precision.
Two points don’t change everything — but they hint at a team finally stabilising, rebuilding, and believing again.
Next stop: Las Vegas, where Alpine hopes to turn signs of recovery into a real surge of form.
Credits : BWT Alpine Formula One Team
