The only way is up, Alpine

By Carl Springer

A new dawn – Is the only way up for Alpine in 2026?

As testing begins in Barcelona for the 2026 Formula One season, three teams hit the track early. Mercedes looking to mount a title charge and Audi entering the sport after slowly transitioning from Kick Sauber over the last couple of years. The third of these teams to shake the cobwebs off in Barcelona was Alpine. After a dire 2025 is the only way up for the French outfit or will these new regulations bring a familiar story.

When Renault rebranded to Alpine in 2021 there was a sense of optimism throughout the team. Renault were best of the rest in 2020 and with this takeover the hope was to push up the grid and challenge the big teams of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. However, it has since been a downward spiral which eventually found the team bottom of the constructors championship with undoubtedly the worst car on the grid in 2025 performance wise. 2026 brings the biggest regulation change in the sport for over a decade and with it comes opportunity to push up the grid.

Alpine come into this season having struck a deal worth approximately $105 million to use Mercedes engines until 2030 after Renault decided in 2024, they would no longer provide engines for Formula One. Word coming out of the paddock is that Mercedes have nailed the new engine regulations meaning that the works team and all of their customers will have an advantage going into the first round in Australia. This makes even more difference than previous years as performance over the ground effect years was at an 80/20 split of aero to engine. This year’s regulations make that a 50/50 split meaning the engine power will have a huge impact on performance. Now obviously these are just rumours, and nobody has a true idea of how each team, and each engine supplier will perform this season but if they do turn out to be true Alpine are looking in good shape to develop a competitive car.

The team also look to finally have a settled driver line up. Pierre Gasly joined the team in 2023 after leaving the Red Bull family following five years with them. He is widely regarded as one of the most solid and underrated drivers on the grid. The Frenchman more than backed that up last season dragging his Alpine consistently into the final part of qualifying and scoring twenty-two points in a very poor piece of machinery. By time the season starts Gasly will be 30 years old and will be looking to count on his talent and experience to push Alpine up the grid. On the other side of the garage is Franco Colapinto. The Argentinian got the drive seven rounds into last season at the expense of Jack Doohan whose time was cut short after a couple of early season shunts for the Australian. Before last season Colapinto only had a handful of Formula One races to his name where he’d impressed at the back end of 2024 with Williams. Despite having a fairly poor first campaign, Alpine have decided to stick with the 22-year-old for 2026 and he’ll be hoping to deliver on the early promise and potential he’s shown throughout his junior career and his early forays in Formula One.

 

So back to the original question, is the only way up for Alpine?

 

Well the old saying “The thing about rock bottom is the only way is up” is applicable in the case of the French team. However, these new regulations couldn’t have come at a better time. If Mercedes have indeed nailed the regulations and have the best engine on the grid then Alpine will fly up the pecking order. Driver lineup and staff personnel are all relatively similar from last season which is a consistency the team have lacked for a while and with Flavio Briatore at the helm, a serial winner in the sport things could well be on the way up for Alpine.