Is Norris even better in 2026?
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What recent F1 news headlines are covered at the start of the episode?
The athletic.
The race is on. And with Lando Norris, the latest megastar to sign a new long-term deal that will keep him at McLaren to at least the end of 2030, we ask if he's taken a step forward as a driver this year. But it's not just that deal, because we also ask if Alpine made the right decision by keeping Franco Colopinto for 2027. I'm Edstraw and joining me with all the answers are Val Hurunji and Mark Hughes. They're gonna start off today with some of F1's other news, starting with Franco Colapinto's Alpine deal, and then later on in the podcast we'll get into detail on Lando Norris and McLaren's new contract being announced, and in particular, how strong Lando Norris has been this year. But Mark, we'll start off with you.
The announcement that Franco Colapinto will drive for Alpine next year wasn't a huge surprise. Do you think he was the best choice?
Um not purely on performance. I think um I was a little bit surprised. Um but when you start to think of the bigger picture and the um the sponsorship that is associated with him um then yeah, I g I guess he's he's got a worth and he's that uh he is a a good, competent peddler But not yet at the level, a consistent level of uh Pierre Gasly. Um there are probably prospects that you in fact Alpine has honoured book Alex Dunn, who I would have um I would have been very keen to uh give a an opportunity to. Um but that that's not in the big picture. Uh you just uh in terms of performance I would say he hasn't done enough to have guaranteed it and um given how ruthlessly Flavrio Biratori is operated in the past.
Um if it was just on performance, I I don't think you would have been seeing that um confirmation at this earlier stage. I think um Rio Tory, if it was just on performance, would have liked to have seen a bit more evidence and probably would have left it a bit later in the season.
The interesting thing with Colapinto is his best work has been really good. He's been a little bit inconsistent in qualifying at times. There have been some very strong race drives, and it's worth remembering this is his first full season in Formula One and the first time he's had a pre-season, etc. Had a few shaky weekends initially, and then picked up uh nicely, fairly quickly, I think it's it's fair to say. That qualifying form has picked up. Up a bit, and and we have seen some weekends where he's compared very well to Gasly, I would say. So I don't know, it's I feel like Colopinto's best work warrants him having another season to really fully bed in. And we've seen that since the start when he came in in Formula One.
His best work's very good, his worst work is not convincing. And uh Val, do you think we will see
Why did Alpine sign Franco Colapinto and how does his performance compare to other midfield drivers?
That kind of conflict being resolved next year, and he'll become a bit more of a consistent peddler at the top of his performance range.
But I don't I don't think there is a conflict. And I don't think there's a particular need for Alpine to to go out and try to, you know, to maximize its driver lineup in that sense and try to find somebody who will be the consistent performer rival ring rivaling its clear number one who is ghastly. I mean, if you have some experienced midfield options doing the rounds that you think can be an upgrade in terms of the the baseline, then maybe try it. Uh that's probably why people were talking about the Fernando Alonso thing that was never And even even then, like, is that worth really anybody's time and money, or are any of the alternatives in in Cola Pinto, what Alpine has, and what I what I kind of like for Alpine, like apart from his backing, is you have a driver that you've already invested into, you've already spent time developing, that is not at a level to where you have to be massively worried about anybody trying to poach him, which is the
the the existence of a midfield team. I mean what what is Alpine especially now that it is a customer team? Does it need a superstar? If Alex Dunn is as good as that one FP one suggested, and we we don't know, but if if if Alex Dunn is that super high upside prospect, then in the best case scenario you bring him in, he hits that upside and then somebody steals him from you.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What recent F1 news headlines are covered at the start of the episode?
0:02–3:07
2
Why did Alpine sign Franco Colapinto and how does his performance compare to other midfield drivers?
3:07–16:55
3
Is Alpine’s driver‑development strategy (including the Alex Dunn prospect) sustainable for a customer team?
16:55–24:27
4
What does the Red Bull test with F2 leader Nikola Tsolov reveal about future talent pipelines?
24:27–32:12
5
How will the FIA’s ADUO regulation changes impact the 2026 season?
32:12–35:53
6
What does Lando Norris’s new long‑term McLaren contract indicate about his 2026 prospects?
35:53–42:25
7
Has Lando Norris improved as a driver in 2026 compared with his title‑winning 2025 campaign?
42:25–48:15
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Race F1 Podcast
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