Alpine fields Gabriele Mini in FP1 at Interlagos
Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Mini will drive Pierre Gasly's car in FP1 at the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The outing marks Mini's second official F1 session after his Mexico City debut and fulfills rookie running requirements.
Alpine Academy driver returns for second FP1
Alpine confirmed that Gabriele Mini will take Pierre Gasly's seat for the opening free practice session at the 2026 Sao Paulo Grand Prix on the Interlagos circuit.[1] The move gives the Italian academy driver his second official F1 outing after he replaced Franco Colapinto in Mexico City the previous weekend.[2]
Mini completed 22 laps in Mexico and recorded a best time of 1:19.946, 1.818 seconds off the pace set by Charles Leclerc.[3] Gasly will return to the car for FP2, allowing the Frenchman full preparation time ahead of qualifying.
Context from prior outing
The Brazil appearance follows Mini's Mexico debut, where he drove the other Alpine entry. Both sessions align with FIA requirements for rookie running across the season.
Related reading
- [1]FP1 Roundup: Which Formula 2 drivers past, present and future will be in action in Brazil? (formula2). Accessed 2026-11-05.
- [2]Alpine volta a escalar Minì e deixa Gasly no banco no TL1 do GP de São Paulo (grandepremio). Accessed 2026-11-05.
- [3]Minì di nuovo al volante dell'Alpine in Brasile (autosprint). Accessed 2026-11-05.