AUSTIN, Texas — Race week in Texas is about more than lap times and setup sheets, and for BWT Alpine Formula One Team drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, a trip to the Lone Star State offered the chance to experience some of the culture that makes Austin a favorite stop on the Formula One calendar.
Before turning their attention to the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, Gasly and Colapinto traded racing duties for a pair of distinctly Texan adventures.
Colapinto, the Argentine driver who grew up around horses, visited Lone Star Ranch outside Austin, where he stepped into a familiar environment despite being far from home. Swapping the cockpit for a saddle, Colapinto rode a horse named “Smoke” and embraced the area’s cowboy traditions.
The outing gave the young driver a chance to show off skills developed long before his rise through the motorsports ranks. After receiving some local instruction, he navigated the riding ring with ease and appeared right at home in the Western setting.
While his teammate was discovering Texas horseback culture, Gasly headed south to Driftwood and one of the state’s most recognizable barbecue destinations, Salt Lick BBQ.
The Frenchman toured the restaurant’s famous smoking pits and learned firsthand why Texas barbecue has developed a worldwide reputation. Gasly spent time working alongside pit masters, turning pork ribs over an open fire before coating them with the restaurant’s signature barbecue sauce.
Founded in 1967, Salt Lick BBQ has become a Texas institution, known for its open-pit cooking methods and traditional family recipes. For Gasly, the visit offered a taste of local culture just days before climbing back into Alpine’s A526 Formula One car.
Colapinto’s Texas experience didn’t end at the ranch.
The Alpine driver arrived at Circuit of The Americas on Thursday aboard a MotoGP motorcycle, continuing the growing relationship between the BWT Alpine Formula One Team and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team.
The arrival highlighted the unique motorsports atmosphere surrounding Circuit of The Americas, one of the few venues in the world to host Formula One, MotoGP and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Alpine maintains involvement across all three disciplines, making the crossover particularly fitting.
With the sightseeing complete, both drivers will return their focus to competition as on-track action begins Friday with Free Practice 1 ahead of Sunday’s United States Grand Prix.