The activity of the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix of Formula 1 closed its first day with an improvement for Alpine. After a challenging Free Practice 1, the French team found a more competitive rhythm in FP2, where Franco Colapinto finished 11th and Pierre Gasly took seventh place.
The Argentine driver thus managed to get closer to the top ten in a session that saw George Russell as the fastest. The Brit finished ahead of his Mercedes teammate, Kimi Antonelli, while Max Verstappen completed the podium of the classification.
Colapinto advanced with Alpine in FP2
Colapinto recorded a better performance than in the first session of the day and was just outside the top 10. The Argentine finished ahead of Liam Lawson, Checo Pérez, and Gabriel Bortoleto, among other drivers.
His teammate Gasly had an even more outstanding performance and ended the session in seventh place, behind the two Mercedes, Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris.
The day thus left positive signs for Alpine looking ahead to the rest of the weekend, although the third practice and qualifying are still to come before the race.
Red flag due to Arvid Lindblad's accident
One of the highlights of FP2 was the accident involving Arvid Lindblad. The young Racing Bulls driver lost control of his car and ended up crashing into the circuit walls.
The incident forced a temporary halt to the session with a red flag. Despite the crash, the damage to the vehicle was not expected to be severe and the car will be available for Lindblad to participate in Free Practice 3.
How FP2 of the Azerbaijan GP ended
1)George Russell — Mercedes
2)Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes
3)Max Verstappen — Red Bull
4)Charles Leclerc — Ferrari
5)Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari
6)Lando Norris — McLaren
7)Pierre Gasly — Alpine
