Alpine’s FP2 session at the Belgian GP ended abruptly when Pierre Gasly lost the car on the final lap after a sudden oversteer, sending him into a gravel trap and a wall hit.
Crash details
Gasly’s oversteer occurred at the exit of the Les Fagnes section, around Turn 14, and pushed the car onto the kerb before clipping the outside barrier.
The momentum stalled him, causing a spin, re‑contacting the wall and ending the practice run.
Driver’s commentary
Gasly admitted a “huge snap” that left him off the track and unable to recover before the exit vanished.
Alpine’s Steve Nielsen said the mistake was small, but the circuit’s layout punished any deviation, limiting margin for error.
Performance breakout
Despite the crash, Alpine felt progress after missing Q3 in each of the last three races.
Franco Colapinto finished seventh in FP2, outpacing Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad by 0.147 s and marking the first time Alpine has led the midfield at Zolder.
The Argentine praised “cooler conditions” and the low‑speed corners for helping the car’s potential, though more pace is still required.
Testing and upgrades
The team tested many setups in both sessions, including a new halo for the Belgium track, aiming to isolate the best configuration for race‑day.
Nielsen noted that FP2’s lift of pace came primarily from FP1 testing, cautioning that hastening changes overnight could undo gains.
Looking ahead
Alpine will synthesize the FP2 data, lock in the most effective settings, and stride into qualifying on the assumption that incremental improvements remain stable.
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