TEAM PREVIEW: Alpine – All you need to know about the team ahead of the 2026 F1 season

The 2025 campaign was a challenging one both on and off the track for Alpine; a driver change and the exit of their Team Principal saw the squad hit the headlines in the first half of the season, while the performance level of their car left the Enstone-based outfit at the bottom of the Teams’ Championship. Amid a rules reset in 2026, will Alpine’s decision to switch focus early to the new regulations pay off? Here’s the lowdown on the team…

Drivers for 2026

Pierre Gasly #10: 1 Grand Prix win, 5 podiums, 458 points, 177 starts
Franco Colapinto #43: Best finish of P8, 26 podiums, 5 points, 27 starts

While there has been some instability in terms of leadership changes at Alpine during recent years, Pierre Gasly has been a constant at the squad since his arrival in 2023, with the Frenchman having signed a contract extension last autumn that will keep him at the team through to the end of 2028.

Now approaching his ninth full-time season in Formula 1, Gasly’s journey so far has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, going from an eye-catching debut with Toro Rosso to being dropped by Red Bull, before then securing a maiden win at Monza one year on in the AlphaTauri. He went on to join Alpine in 2023, where he has since collected two podium finishes.

On the other side of the garage is Franco Colapinto. The Argentinian – who made his F1 debut when he substituted for Williams across nine races in 2024 – was drafted in to replace Jack Doohan from Round 7 at Imola onwards, but experienced mixed fortunes through the campaign. He ultimately ended the season with no points, something he will doubtless be keen to rectify in 2026.

How did Alpine do in 2025?

Given the regulation changes coming into effect for 2026, Alpine opted to focus their attentions on preparing for this from an early stage in the 2025 season, meaning that the squad scrapped any further developments for last year’s campaign.

As such, the Enstone-based outfit had to settle for a tough run, with points finishes proving hard to come by from the off. The opening few races were particularly tough for Doohan as speculation mounted over his seat – and after just six races, it was announced that the Australian would be replaced by Colapinto going forwards.

One day earlier, further changes at the squad had unfolded when it was confirmed that Team Principal Oliver Oakes had resigned with immediate effect, leading to Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore covering the duties previously performed by Oakes.

A high point came at Silverstone, when Gasly handled changing conditions to bring his A525 home in a season-best sixth place – but there were few highlights from then on, with the Frenchman’s 10th place in Sao Paulo marking the team’s only points score in the second half. The team ultimately ended the campaign at the bottom of the pack, with a sizeable 48-point deficit to Kick Sauber in ninth.

History

Prior to their rebrand as Alpine in 2021, the team went under the guise of Renault. The manufacturer took over the former Lotus squad to return to F1 as a constructor in 2016, following several previous spells in the sport both as a team and an engine supplier.

Renault experienced championship success through each of these roles, having triumphed as an engine manufacturer for the likes of Williams, Benetton and Red Bull in the 1990s and 2010s, while they scored back-to-back titles as a constructor – with Fernando Alonso at the wheel – in 2005 and 2006.

There have been various highs and lows for the squad since their rebranding as Alpine, with their P4 in the 2022 Teams’ Championship – courtesy of the driver pairing of Alonso and Esteban Ocon – marking the outfit’s strongest finish to date.

Numerous restructurings have also taken place along the way, including the announcement in 2024 that Alpine will no longer use a Renault power unit from 2026 as the team prepare to run Mercedes power units until at least the end of 2030.

Greatest achievement

While Alpine have not yet recaptured Renault’s past title-winning form since their rebrand, there have still been a number of standout moments along the way – the Sao Paulo double podium achieved by Gasly and Ocon in 2024, for example, was certainly special.

But it is perhaps Ocon’s debut victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix that marks the team’s greatest achievement to date. While multiple incidents unfolded on Lap 1 of the race – with five drivers eliminated amid damp conditions – Ocon managed to avoid the chaos and initially climb up to P2 from his grid slot of P8.

Following the unusual sight of Lewis Hamilton taking the race restart on the grid by himself – as the rest of the field pitted for slick tyres – Ocon went on to take the lead when Hamilton made his pit stop a few laps later. From there the Frenchman kept his cool, handling pressure from the chasing Mercedes driver later on to clinch a maiden F1 win.

One key goal for 2026

Needless to say, Alpine will be aiming not to repeat their last-place finish in 2026. The team are entering the new campaign with an increased sense of stability; Steve Nielsen joined as Managing Director in September – reporting to Briatore – while the incumbent driver pairing of Gasly and Colapinto adds to the continuity.

With Gasly continuing to lead the charge and Colapinto experiencing something of an upturn in form during the latter stages of 2025 – leaving Briatore “impressed” – the target will be to provide the drivers with a car that they can fight with.

Indeed, this has been set out as a goal for 2026 by Briatore, while the Italian also voiced his belief that the increased stability at Alpine – along with the arrival of experienced new recruits – can help the squad to climb back up to P6 in the standings.

“We are setting the team for next season,” Briatore explained. “We will have a great Mercedes engine and gearbox. I'm sure next season will be good for the team and we give our drivers the right car to compete. We are doing the best possible and my target is to be in P6 [next year]."