Colapinto and Lindblad deliver two Q3 surprises

Franco Colapinto put the Alpine ninth and Arvid Lindblad the Racing Bulls tenth in a qualifying session where several teams expected to be quicker ended up behind them. Liam Lawson also produced a strong eighth place for Red Bull, immediately ahead of the pair.

For Colapinto, reaching Q3 is first and foremost a concrete result to convert on Sunday; by itself it does not prove that Alpine’s upgrades caused the improvement. Lindblad faces the same challenge: his grid position creates a points opportunity, but the long race will demand more consistency. With Hülkenberg, Bortoleto, Gasly and Tsunoda behind them, both young drivers have something real to defend.