Colapinto walks away from heavy crash in Pirelli test

Alpine F1 driver Franco Colapinto suffered a heavy crash on Wednesday morning during Pirelli’s 2026 tyre development test at the Hungaroring but fortunately escaped without injury.

The 21-year-old Argentine was behind the wheel of Alpine’s A525 mule car as part of a two-day testing programme shared with McLaren, Ferrari and Racing Bulls, aimed at aiding Pirelli’s work on its next-generation tyres for the 2026 F1 season.

After Paul Aron handled driving duties for Alpine on Tuesday – running alongside McLaren’s Lando Norris and RB’s Liam Lawson – Colapinto was handed the car for Day 2.

However, his run came to an abrupt end following an incident at Turn 11 – a high-speed, right-hand corner.

“During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11. Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK,” an Alpine spokesperson confirmed.

The crash adds further pressure to an already challenging rookie campaign for Colapinto, who has yet to score a top ten finish this season and who is reportedly operating on a race-by-race agreement with Alpine, leaving his future with the Enstone squad uncertain.

Colapinto’s setback will likely prevent Pierre Gasly from continuing Alpine’s testing this afternoon at the Hungaroring where the Frenchman was scheduled to share the track with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

As a reminder, all cars taking part in Pirelli’s development tests are specially modified to fit the slightly narrower dimensions of the Italian manufacturer’s 2026 F1 tyres.

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