Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto is set to have his third outing for Alpine F1 in the 2025 Spain Grand Prix this Sunday. The 22-year-old will aim to prove doubters wrong after a discreet Monaco GP performance, and the Spanish track gives him the chance to do so.

After a troublesome debut weekend at Imola in early May, that was marked by a crash in qualifying, bringing the car home and staying out of trouble was no doubt the objective at Monaco. 

The race at F1’s most historic venue brought some vindication for the Argentine driver, who climbed from 18th to 13th in the race. He was the sole Alpine to see the checkered flag after teammate Pierre Gasly crashed early in the race. 

However, it was also a difficult weekend in a track the Alpine car isn’t suited for, something Colapinto spoke of himself.

“The weekend in Monaco was a tough one for the team,” he told Alpine F1’s press team. “We struggled with the pace of the car for various reasons and ultimately lined up too far back on the grid at a track with almost no overtaking opportunities.”

Colapinto admitted the new FIA regulation forcing teams to make to pit-stops at Monaco threw a spanner in the works, but that an improvement on 13th would’ve been hard to come by. By comparison, he’s eager to move to the track at Barcelona.

“I am looking forward to Spain this weekend to close out the triple header,” he said. “As a Spanish speaking country and with plenty of Argentine fans there, I am sure it will be a special one for me.”

It was a special week for the Argentine driver as well, with his 22nd birthday coming on Tuesday, which allowed him to spend time with family and friends and “have a couple of days to relax.”

“We will be hoping for a more positive weekend in Barcelona, at a circuit which should suit our package better,” he said. “The track is a more traditional circuit in comparison to Monaco so the aim will be to get as comfortable with the car as quickly as possible to extract a good result from Qualifying and set ourselves up nicely for the race on Sunday.”

A positive result is very much on the cards for the Argentine. He’s raced at the Barcelona track many times over his career, having first done so in his F4 Spanish Championship days when he was only 16.

Spain will be a special race for Alpine too, with the car set to bear a paintjob commemorating the company’s 70th anniversary. The drivers are also set to wear a special white racing suit.

When is Franco Colapinto racing?

The first two practice sessions for the Spain GP will take place on Friday, with the initial tryout known as Free Practice 1 starting at 8:30 a.m.. The follow up is set greenlight at 12 p.m.

A third practice session is set to run on Saturday at 7.30 a.m. After that, the qualifying session will go ahead at 11 a.m. The race starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday. All times are Argentina time.

All races will be broadcast live on cable TV through Fox Sports, which is also available on most providers’ streaming platforms. Fans can also subscribe to streaming service Disney+’s Premium package, currently listed at AR$18.399 (US$ 16.15 at the official rate) per month. The series’ official broadcast, F1TV, also shows the races live, requiring the Pro package that comes at US$69.99.