By Mark Gero
With a terrible season behind them, in which the Alpine F1 Team finished at the bottom of the World Constructor’s Championship, the Anglo/French team launched their newest and probably the glitziest car in many seasons as the A526 debuted Friday afternoon at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain.
For the first time, the engine package has been changed, in which the team no longer uses the Renault brand, which was scrapped last September, due to the high costs which did not perform well since it began in 2024.
Now, the team will be using Mercedes engines until the next chance of changing the powerplants by 2030, when the contract expires.
As far as the chassis is concerned, the Executive Technical Director, David Sanchez, who once worked for Ferrari, stated that the new technical changes, which the team worked on most of last year, is a welcomed sight, that just might get the squad better results than they had previously.
“The last year has been truly extraordinary in Formula One terms,” said Sanchez.
“With such big changes in the regulations, this project has been a very interesting challenge and one we have really given our all towards.
Ultimately, the car is shorter and narrower than in recent years, with some aerodynamic freedom to explore.
We have the return of active aero, where we have the ability to have movable front and rear wings, something the vast majority of the drivers on the grid will not have experienced before. The reduction in downforce and drag is expected to bring better racing, which I am sure all fans will be intrigued to watch.
Then, of course, we have more electric power in the power units since we have partnered with Mercedes-AMG for 2026. It has been fantastic to work closely with our new colleagues from Brixworth in recent months and weeks, as we all work together to understand how best to maximise the package.
In addition to the power unit challenge and the new 100% sustainable fuels, we will also have some new terminology for us to get used to with overtake mode, boost mode and recharge, all set to enter our vocabulary this year.
All of us at Enstone look forward to getting started in Barcelona next week, where we have much to learn and understand on the A526.”
Both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto return for another season, in which advisor Flavio Briatore and his Managing Director Steve Nielsen, head the operation, in which Briatore now has informed his two drivers since the car seems to be good, that there is no room for excuses. But Briatore himself still is cautious, but hopeful.
“This is a difficult question, but you expect the best.” He said.
“This year is not an excuse anymore. We have a brand-new car and we have the same drivers.
“Franco (Colapinto) is here. I promise you, he’s done a very good winter, and I hope he is doing much better results and is ready to compete with Pierre (Gasly).
We need two drivers. We need two drivers competing in there all the time and for the team, of course.
Only for growth, we need the performance of the driver. Whatever engineering job is doing after, the final beat is done by the driver.
Pierre and Franco are friends, working together, working very hard,” he added, before glancing at the two drivers with a smile: “For the moment, you are friends. After two or three races, maybe the friendship is little bit low, or maybe it’s bigger, [it] depends.
We expect to have two good drivers. We have a good car. We have a super sponsor. So, all the packages together, we just expect [to be] successful.”
Next week the team will get their first chance at how the car will run when it attends the shakedown at the same Spanish circuit.
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