Alpine pulled the cover off the new A526 on Friday. Earlier this week the car was already spotted at Silverstone during a special filming day. Alpine’s livery has changed little — the French remain loyal to the familiar pink-and-blue scheme. The team is pinning heavy hopes on the A526; with the new regulations and a new Mercedes power unit, drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto are banking on a sporting shake-up.
During a special season launch in Barcelona Alpine presented the A526, the F1 car for 2026. For the occasion the team partnered with sponsor MSC Cruises; the car was unveiled aboard a cruise ship. Alpine has plenty to make up for this season. Last year the team finished rock bottom in the standings. Lead driver Pierre Gasly scored a handful of world championship points, but the gap to the rivals remained large. The results were poor enough that Alpine shifted its focus mid-season to 2026 and the new regulations.
High expectations
Expectations are therefore high. With a new Mercedes power unit at the rear and a revised chassis design, Alpine see an opportunity for a turnaround. In Enstone they’ve been chasing the competitiveness of old for some time; under the Renault banner the squad won multiple championships in the past. Pierre Gasly remains upbeat about Alpine’s 2026 prospects. “The car is a beauty,” he joked to the assembled crowd. The Frenchman has already put a few test kilometres on the A526 at a sodden Silverstone this week. “The weather conditions were, to put it mildly, extreme,” he continued. “Fortunately the test went very well and I managed to complete a fair number of laps.”
“The coming season presents plenty of opportunities, both for us as drivers and for the team,” he continued. “It’s going to be incredibly exciting. We all want to win and the team has done a fantastic job over the winter. The first shakedown was brilliant.” Teammate Franco Colapinto also hopes for a turnaround. The Argentine joined Alpine last year at the Imola Grand Prix but has yet to score any World Championship points. “For me, this is a very special day; it’s my first season launch,” he added. “Hopefully we can give all our sponsors a great year. Behind the scenes we’re working flat-out, with the engineers and with Flavio (Briatore, ed.), to make 2026 a successful year.”
