Argentine driver Franco Colapinto secured eighth place in the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. He outperformed teammate Pierre Gasly, and Alpine celebrated the result on social media. He will start from that position in Sunday's race.
Franco Colapinto, an Alpine driver, progressed successfully through the qualifying rounds at the Miami International Autodrome. In Q1 he finished tenth with a time of 1:29.917, improving to 1:29.584 ahead of Gasly. In Q2 he posted 1:28.975 and then 1:29.123, qualifying ninth for Q3. There he set 1:28.762, two tenths ahead of Gasly who ended tenth.
Pole position went to Kimi Antonelli, followed by Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. The full grid has Colapinto eighth, ahead of Isack Hadjar and Gasly. Alpine posted on X: “P8 again for Franco. Let's go! His first Q3 appearance in 2026”.
Earlier, in Saturday's Sprint qualifying, Colapinto started eighth but finished tenth after a clash with Verstappen at the start, costing him positions. He voiced frustration: “It conditioned me (the touch with Verstappen), because it made me lose two positions”.
The Miami GP resumes after a one-month break due to the suspension of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races. The main race is scheduled for Sunday at 17:00 Argentina time.
