A526 technical progress: Alpine emerges as a contender for fifth-best team in 2026 F1. Alpine completes a productive Bahrain F1 test with over 1,000 laps .

Alpine between enthusiasm and expectation: Bahrain reignites ambitions

Alpine concluded the second round of pre-season testing in Bahrain with great enthusiasm and a significant amount of data collected. A total of 1,024 laps were completed over the three days — a very encouraging sign that confirms a markedly different level of competitiveness for the Enstone-based team compared to last season.

Although it is not yet possible to determine with certainty where Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will line up on the grid, it is clear that the battle to establish themselves as the fifth force on the grid will involve teams such as Haas, Audi and Williams. Yesterday, Pierre Gasly took to the track for the final session in Bahrain: here are the French driver’s words at the end of the test.

Gasly: “I’m satisfied, the mentality has changed”

“We experienced a very intense month of February, which is rather unusual in Formula 1. We’ve already completed ten days of running with the A526, between Silverstone, Barcelona and Bahrain, so I feel ready and I can’t wait to go racing again. Usually, at this time of year, we only have a day and a half of preparation in the car before the first races,” admitted the French driver.

“This time we had four and a half days, which is crucial with a new single-seater, as there are many things to learn and understand. I’m satisfied with the work done in recent weeks and with the incredible effort put in by every member of the team. We have a lot to analyse and there are certainly several areas where we need to double our efforts to find improvements,” he added, fully aware that it will soon be time to return to the track for competitive action.

“I remain confident and I’m satisfied with everything that has been achieved so far. Next week I will spend two days in Enstone to prepare for the restart, working on the simulator and with the team. It’s an exciting period and I can’t wait for Australia,” he concluded.

Steve Nielsen’s comments

The team’s enthusiasm is also shared by the Enstone outfit’s managing director, Steve Nielsen: “The last few months have been very unusual in modern Formula 1, with cars already on track in January and many key milestones achieved weeks, if not months, earlier than we have seen in recent years. I’m very proud of the work carried out by everyone in Enstone to design, produce and develop the A526 in collaboration with our new colleagues in Brixworth at Mercedes-AMG.”

“It hasn’t been easy and at times we have had to face significant challenges. These will not disappear, because the development race has already begun to steer this package in the best possible direction so that it can be as competitive as possible. This week in Bahrain we focused heavily on the car in different conditions ahead of the restart. We have a decent package and a good working base, at least for the opening races of the calendar,” he underlined.

Finally, he did not hide his appreciation for his two drivers: “Pierre and Franco did an excellent job executing our run plans. They provided us with a great deal of data to analyse and we thank them for that. Both are eager to get back to racing, just like the entire team and myself. We will head to Melbourne ready to give our maximum to kick off what promises to be an exciting 2026 season,” he concluded.

All that remains now is to wait for the Australian Grand Prix to discover the true pace of Alpine on track.