Argentine driver Franco Colapinto secured eighth place in the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix Sprint qualifying on Friday. He outperformed teammate Pierre Gasly and reached Q3 with a time of 1:29.320. Alpine and Flavio Briatore praised the Pilar native's performance.
Franco Colapinto delivered a strong performance in the Miami Grand Prix Sprint qualifying on Friday, May 1. Starting from 11th in free practice with a 1:31.015 time, he advanced in Q1 despite a yellow flag disrupting his first lap (1:30.386). In Q2 he clocked 1:29.527 to place eighth, ahead of Gasly (tenth), and confirmed his spot in Q3 with 1:29.320.
The Sprint race grid for Saturday was topped by Lando Norris, followed by Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Colapinto. Alpine posted on X (Twitter): “¡Vamos! Es 8º para Franco”, with clapping emojis. His representative, María Catarineu, reacted with euphoria in the paddock.
Flavio Briatore, Alpine executive, congratulated Colapinto: “A seguir”, he encouraged after the first day in Florida. The Argentine matched his best F1 qualifying, eighth in Azerbaijan 2024, amid high expectations from Argentine fans in the stands.
This GP marks F1's return after a one-month break due to cancellations in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The Sprint race is scheduled for Saturday, May 2 at 13:00 Argentina time.