Franco Colapinto completed his participation in the Pirelli development tests at the Hungaroring this Wednesday and wrapped up two days of intense work before the summer break of Formula 1. While Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto recorded the fastest time of the day, the Alpine driver was the one who drove the most on track and provided a significant amount of data for the development of the tires that will debut in the 2027 season.
As is usually the case in this type of testing, lap times took a back seat. The main objective was to evaluate different evolutions of the C3, C4, and C5 compounds through qualifying simulations and long runs of up to 16 laps to gather information for the new technical regulations.
On the second and final day, Colapinto completed 139 laps, covered 609 kilometers, and set a best time of 1m20s139. Meanwhile, Bortoleto with his Audi R26 completed 116 laps, accumulated 508 kilometers, and was the fastest of the day with a time of 1m19s917, just 222 thousandths ahead of the Argentine.
Despite that difference, the outcome was very positive for the Alpine representative. On Tuesday, he had finished as the fastest of the session, surpassing both Bortoleto and Jak Crawford, reserve driver for Aston Martin. Between both days, Colapinto accumulated 267 laps and covered 1,170 kilometers, the highest workload among the drivers present.
The high temperatures also posed an additional challenge for the teams. The asphalt at the Hungaroring reached 59 °C, while the ambient temperature hit 34 °C, conditions that allowed Pirelli to analyze the behavior and wear of the different compounds in a maximum demand scenario.
With the tests concluded, Colapinto now begins his well-deserved summer break after providing a valuable amount of information for Alpine and the Italian manufacturer, which will conduct dry tire development tests again on August 26 and 27 at the Mugello circuit in Italy.
When Colapinto Returns to Race
After the race on Hungarian soil, Formula 1 will take a break for the summer holidays. In this sense, the category will return in one month with the Dutch Grand Prix. Action at the Zandvoort circuit will kick off on Friday, August 21 with a single free practice and the Sprint qualifying, and will conclude on Sunday, August 23 with the main race.
In his only appearance on Dutch territory driving in the top category, Colapinto narrowly missed the points zone with an 11th place.
