For the second time in 2026, BWT Alpine Formula One Team travels across the Atlantic to the United States of America, for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas.

Inspired by world-class and historic tracks like Silverstone and Istanbul Park, the circuit, abbreviated to COTA, has been the permanent home for the US Grand Prix since 2012 and is one of the favourite stops on the calendar for drivers and teams. The course is technical and demanding right from the start with a climb of 30.9 metres from the start line to Turn 1 before entering the Esses section. Overtaking opportunities are aplenty with the back straight into Turn 12 leading directly into a switchback Stadium complex which is likely to see plenty of action across the weekend.

F1 Academy returns in Austin for a three-race weekend across four days of track action. Nina Gademan will represent BWT Alpine Formula One Team from Free Practice and Qualifying on Thursday before racing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Nina sits third in the standings with five races remaining after a successful season which included two podium finishes last time out at the Dutch Grand Prix in August.

Pierre Gasly

“I always enjoy heading to Texas for the United States Grand Prix, it is certainly one of the highlights of the entire season. The track is fun to drive as it is fast and flowing throughout and has plenty of overtaking opportunities across the lap. Hopefully we’ll be in a position where we can compete for points and make some moves forwards. It has been a difficult past few weeks for us as a team where results have not gone our way. We know what is at stake in the Championship and, right now, it is not in our favour. That being said, it is down to us to keep extracting the maximum from the car, keep adding more performance and then try to deliver on track for a haul of points week in week out. On my side, I have had Q3 appearances at the last three races and my focus is on continuing that run and translating that pace into good points for the team. I’m looking forward to Texas, lots of cool things happening on and off track and I am determined to play my part.”

Franco Colapinto

“I’m looking forward to racing in Austin once again and starting one of the most fun triple-headers of the year. Driving in Texas, Mexico City and São Paulo is amazing for me and I get to enjoy a lot of support from fans who are closer to home. There is a really cool atmosphere in Austin and the city is always so alive which is another reason it is one of my favourite races to go to each year. The track is incredible to drive and with this year’s cars, I think there will be some exciting racing for the fans to enjoy. We have had a run of difficult races over the past few weeks, but I’ve been back in Enstone with my engineers and we’ve all been hard at work to make sure these next ones are much better. We have a lot of work to do on-track and I am motivated to do so and to have another strong weekend in Austin.”

Did you know?

• The team is looking to build on its strong North American form this year having finished in the top 10 in all Sprints and Grands Prix in Miami and Canada.
• The team has shown good recent form in Qualifying; at least one Alpine driver has made Q3 in each of the last 5 Grands Prix.
• Pierre Gasly has made Q3 in Austin with all the teams he’s driven for and maintains a 100% head-to-head Qualifying record against team-mates at COTA.
• Franco Colapinto scored in Austin in 2024 in his fourth Formula One start and won the 2024 overtake of the year award for his pass on Fernando Alonso.