Alpine Loses Mexico Points After Gasly, Colapinto Penalties
Alpine lost both of its points-scoring finishes from the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix after FIA stewards penalized Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly for failing to slow sufficiently under yellow flags. Colapinto fell from eighth on the road to 15th in the final classification, while Gasly dropped from 10th to 17th.
The decisions were issued after the November 1 race and incorporated into the FIA’s final classification early on November 2. They promoted Isack Hadjar to ninth and Formula 1 debutant Ryō Hirakawa to 10th, giving Hirakawa the final championship point.
The two Alpine penalties were not identical
| Driver | On-road finish | Stewards’ finding | Penalty | Final finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franco Colapinto | 8th | Insufficient slowing in a single-yellow sector | 10 seconds; 1 licence point | 15th |
| Pierre Gasly | 10th | Insufficient slowing in a double-yellow sector | Stop-and-go converted to 30 seconds; 2 licence points | 17th |
For Colapinto, the stewards reviewed positioning and marshalling data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car footage. Alpine presented telemetry and photographs to argue that its driver had complied with the requirement to reduce speed and be prepared to change direction.
According to FIA document 85, that evidence did not show a sufficient speed reduction in the single-yellow sector. The stewards found enough doubt about whether Colapinto had adequate warning in an earlier double-yellow sector, so they recorded no breach for that portion. His 10-second penalty came with one super-licence penalty point, bringing his 12-month total to five.
Gasly’s case involved a double-yellow sector. The driver and team said he had made a significant reduction in speed, but the stewards compared his telemetry with other cars and concluded that the change was too small. FIA document 84 imposed a stop-and-go penalty after the race plus two super-licence penalty points. Because the stop-and-go could no longer be served, the final results convert it to 30 seconds.
Hirakawa scores on his Formula 1 debut
The amended order leaves Liam Lawson seventh and Gabriel Bortoleto eighth, followed by Hadjar and Hirakawa. The FIA’s final classification also records a separate 10-second penalty for Oscar Piastri after the stewards found him responsible for a collision; he finished 13th.
Hirakawa’s promotion matters because Haas brought him into the car for the remainder of the Mexico weekend after replacing Esteban Ocon. He started 17th and crossed the line outside the points before the post-race changes lifted him to 10th. Chiefs Review covered the driver change and Hirakawa’s debut when Haas announced it.
The penalties do not alter the first six positions or the central championship result. Max Verstappen remains the race winner, Lewis Hamilton second and Kimi Antonelli third. Antonelli’s podium secured the drivers’ title, as detailed in Chiefs Review’s Mexico City Grand Prix report.
Featured image: Franco Colapinto’s Alpine A526 during practice for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. This is an archive photo and does not show the Mexico City race. Photo by Yu Chu Chin, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; source file.
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