Franco Colapinto was taken to a medical centre after suffering a concerning crash during a Pirelli tyre testing session in Hungary. The Alpine star is reported to have smashed into a tyre barrier at Turn 11 on the Hungaroring track.

Colapinto was one of a number of drivers taking part in the Pirelli testing session, remaining in the country following the Hungarian Grand Prix. Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc are also reported to have participated on Wednesday morning. However, there was shock when Colapinto suffered a reportedly ‘hard’ collision with one of the barriers. An image shared online shows that his car suffered damage, with debris scattered around the vehicle.

The incident was serious enough for the 22-year-old to have been taken to the on-site medical facility. Alpine have since confirmed that their driver is OK.

An Alpine statement read: “During Day 2 of Pirelli Tyre Testing at the Hungaroring this morning, Franco Colapinto had an incident at Turn 11. Franco was assessed on site at the medical centre and is OK.”

Tyre testing sessions take place to help Pirelli develop the following season’s tyres. Sessions will sometimes involve drivers completing blind tests of prototypes. The manufacturer supplies tyres to each Formula One team.

Alpine have endured a poor start to the 2025 season and sit bottom of the Constructors’ Championship. Colapinto has not yet taken a point in his rookie season, with team-mate Gasly winning all 20 of the team’s points. They finished 18th and 19th, respectively, at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“It was not the best of days today and a difficult race for us as a team,” Colapinto said. “The pace was good at times in clean air and I had the same feeling as yesterday, I think we have taken a good step forward with the car, which has given me confidence.

“But with the blue flags and losing time in the pitlane, it really limited what we could achieve today. The initial start and getaway was good, but from there we fell back on the first lap and lost places. I was struggling with rear grip and sliding, which came back to us later in the race.

“We opted for a two-stop and unfortunately, we encountered issues on both which meant we were held longer than we expected. As a team, we’ve been very good recently with pitstops, but these things happen in racing.”