Argentine race driver Franco Colapinto will look to rebound from his nightmarish last outing as he prepares for the Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix. The 22-year-old had his British GP end after just one lap, with gearbox problems on his Alpine car. Following two weeks to reflect on what happened, he’s ready to tackle a new race weekend.

“It has been a welcome two-week break after Silverstone,” Colapinto told the Alpine F1 media team. “Reflecting on that weekend, it was one of both highs and lows for the team.”

He went on to congratulate teammate Pierre Gasly, who secured the team’s best performance finishing sixth at Silverstone. Colapinto also admitted it was “disappointing” not to be able to start the race, “especially considering the opportunities [that] were available for those further back.” The race at Silverstone was the first podium in Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg’s long racing career, after he came through the field from 19th in wet conditions.

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“The weekend was not without its learnings, and we still took lots away from it,” added Colapinto. “It is unusual to have two weeks off between races, so it was nice to have time to recuperate too.”

The Argentine said he took a trip to Barcelona in Spain to stay in shape but also relax, and said he’s feeling “rested and ready” for the upcoming race.

The Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Franchorchamps is one of two races before the summer break for F1, the other being the Hungarian GP at the Hungaroring near Budapest. According to Colapinto, Alpine will look to maximise their performance to wrap up the first half of the season on a high. 

After the Hungarian GP, F1 will enter its 2025 Summer Break, with action halted until the Netherlands GP in late August.

Colapinto at Spa, one of F1’s oldest tracks

Located in Wallonia, in southern Belgium, the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is one of F1’s oldest venues. Opened first in 1921, it hosted its first race in 1922, and it became an F1 track in 1925, hosting the then titled European GP.

Since then, the track has seen plenty of changes. Despite coming down from its original 14,9 km layout to the current just-over 7 km shape, it remains the longest in the F1 calendar. It also showcases some of the most famous and imposing turns and sections in F1 history, such as the steep uphill left-right-left corners of the Eau Rouge-Radillion complex, often taken flat out, the long Kemmel straight and the tight La Source hairpin, which often brings chaos on the race launch.

Its twisty, mountainous layout and high speed nature means it’s also one of the deadliest in the calendar, with 49 drivers losing their life across all racing series. 

Despite several outings, it hasn’t often been Colapinto’s best track. He got his best result while racing in the Formula Renault Eurocup, winning the first of two races in 2020, but has since failed to return to the podium.

He doesn’t stand alone. Juan Manuel Fangio is the only Argentine to have won in F1 at the track, taking the race in 1950, 1954 and 1955. In 1981, Carlos Reutemann took his and Argentina’s last win in F1 at the 1981 Belgium GP, but that race was held at the Zolder track.

For Colapinto, it’ll also be his first Sprint race with Alpine. The format sees a short race take place on Saturday ahead of the main event on Sunday. While he took part in several during his Williams stint in 2024, it’ll be the first time he does it for Alpine, with the previous two — China and Miami — falling during Jack Doohan’s short stint as main driver.

Action in Spa Francorchamps starts on Friday, July 25, with the free practice session greenlighting at 7:30 a.m. After that, it’s the Sprint race qualifying at 11:30 a.m. On Saturday, the sprint race starts at 7 a.m., before qualifying for the main event at 11 a.m. The grand prix starts on Sunday at 10 a.m. All times are Argentina time.

Races can be watched on cable TV channel Fox Sports or 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.