Gabriele Mini to make F1 debut in Alpine's Mexico City practice

A first Friday morning for Mini

Alpine has handed one of its academy drivers a first taste of a Formula 1 weekend. According to RacingNews365, Gabriele Mini will drive the A526 in first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, replacing Franco Colapinto for the opening session. Motorsport Week reports the same swap and says Alpine confirmed it.

Mini will run alongside Pierre Gasly. RacingNews365 quotes him saying he is looking forward to getting behind the wheel for his first Free Practice 1, and that he wants to do the best job possible on track, giving the team data and feedback to help prepare Gasly and Colapinto for the rest of the weekend.

Why Colapinto steps aside

Formula 1's rules require each team to give a rookie, a driver with limited grand prix experience, a set number of first-practice outings with each of its race cars over a season. RacingNews365 reports that this is the second time in 2026 that Colapinto has given up his car for FP1, which completes his share of the requirement. Gasly, by contrast, still has one more first-practice session to hand over.

Who Mini is

The Italian is part of Alpine's young-driver programme and, has been a member of the Alpine Academy since 2023, according to Motorsport Week. RacingNews365 and Motorsport Week both place him fourth in the Formula 2 standings; RacingNews365 adds that he is just behind Alex Dunne, who is also in the Alpine academy. That puts two of the team's juniors close together in the same championship as the season runs towards its end.

The numbers behind the car he gets

Our race data shows what the two regular drivers have done so far. Across the first 18 Sunday races, Gasly has scored 40 points and Colapinto 27, with a best finish of sixth for each. Mini's task on Friday is not to add to that, but to supply laps and set-up information for a session that, in Mexico City, also runs at high altitude.

What comes next

Mini will be one of several young drivers on track in Mexico. RacingNews365 lists Freddie Slater, Jak Crawford, Luke Browning, Fred Vesti and Ayumu Iwasa among the other rookies expected in FP1. Colapinto returns to the car for the second practice session later on Friday.