Franco Colapinto is preparing to participate in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, following a standout performance in Spain where he finished in seventh place. The main race this Saturday marks the beginning of a series of three consecutive competitions for the Argentine driver.
The Alpine competitor, with number 43, is having an outstanding moment of the season. In the last five races, he has managed to finish in the top ten four times: he placed ninth in Great Britain, tenth in Belgium, and again ninth in Italy, where he started in seventh position. This is in addition to his achievement at the new Madrid circuit.
This weekend, Formula 1 will make a special adjustment to its calendar, as the main 51-lap race at the Baku circuit will take place on Saturday. This change responds to a request from the Azerbaijani Government to move the activities forward for the Day of Remembrance, a commemorative day in honor of soldiers who lost their lives during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020.
For Colapinto, it will be his third appearance at this street circuit. In his debut in 2024, he achieved an eighth place, thus earning four points, while in 2025 he finished in 19th place after a challenging race with his Alpine. Activities in Azerbaijan will begin on Thursday with the first two free practice sessions, followed by the third session and qualifying on Friday, concluding with the race on Saturday. The circuit, which has a length of 6.003 kilometers and features 20 turns, presents several high-risk sections.
In terms of championship standings, Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes leads the Drivers’ Championship with 292 points, followed by George Russell with 211 and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari with 191. In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes tops the table with 503 points, while Ferrari and McLaren are in second and third place with 358 and 306 points, respectively. Alpine, for its part, arrives at the Grand Prix in sixth place with 68 points, in a fierce battle to secure a better position that could influence the distribution of funds for the next season.
The schedule for Colapinto’s activities is: Thursday, September 24 – Free Practice 1: 05:30 (Argentina) / 12:30 (Azerbaijan), Free Practice 2: 09:00 (Argentina) / 16:00 (Azerbaijan); Friday, September 25 – Free Practice 3: 05:30 (Argentina) / 12:30 (Azerbaijan), Qualifying: 09:00 (Argentina) / 16:00 (Azerbaijan); Saturday, September 26 – Race of 57 laps: 08:00 (Argentina) / 15:00 (Azerbaijan). Broadcasts will be available on Fox Sports (Argentina), Disney+ (South America), DAZN (Spain), and F1TV.
Source: www.infobae.com
