Alpine will arrive at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix aiming to pull clear of Racing Bulls in a closely contested battle for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly will target a strong points haul at the Hungaroring, although reserve driver Paul Aron will replace Franco Colapinto during Friday’s opening practice session.
The Enstone team returns to the circuit where it claimed its first and only Formula 1 victory, courtesy of Esteban Ocon in 2021. Five years later, Alpine needs another positive result to finish the first half of the season on a high and strengthen its position against its Faenza-based rival before the summer break.
Alpine returns to the scene of its first Formula 1 victory
Five years after Esteban Ocon secured Alpine’s first and only victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the French team will return to the Hungaroring this weekend seeking a strong conclusion to the opening half of the championship.
The Hungarian event is the final race before Formula 1’s summer break and will take place on a circuit with a completely different layout from Spa-Francorchamps, where Alpine scored only one point through Franco Colapinto. Fans can find the complete session schedule and broadcast information in the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix timetable.
Alpine targets Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship
Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly will not only be tasked with securing the best possible result in Budapest, but also with helping Alpine establish an advantage over Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ Championship. According to the source, the Faenza team drew level with Alpine in fifth place after producing several strong performances in recent races.
The battle intensified during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, when Alpine, Racing Bulls and Audi fought over valuable championship positions. Racing Bulls will also introduce a technical change in Budapest, including a narrower VCARB 03 airbox for Liam Lawson.
“I was very happy to score a point on Sunday at Spa after a long race battling with Pierre and Lawson, which provided plenty of action,” Franco Colapinto commented. “We looked a little stronger than our rivals in Belgium, and we will try to maintain that level in Budapest this weekend, even though the circuit represents a completely different challenge.
“It is a track where I achieved good results during my junior career, and I am looking forward to returning and experiencing it with this year’s cars. Energy management will be more normal than at the last two events because there are so many corners, so I hope we can have a lot of fun with the lighter cars we have this year. We will give everything throughout the weekend to secure a good result and score more points before the summer break.”
Paul Aron to replace Franco Colapinto in Hungarian GP FP1
Franco Colapinto will not participate in every session during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Alpine has confirmed that reserve driver Paul Aron will take over the car for FP1.
Paul Aron has already participated in two official Formula 1 practice sessions, appearing in Barcelona and Austria with Audi. His Budapest outing will provide another opportunity to gain experience in current-generation machinery while Alpine fulfils its young-driver practice requirements.
Pierre Gasly seeks response after difficult Belgian GP
Pierre Gasly arrives in Hungary following a disappointing Belgian Grand Prix. The final race before the summer break offers the French driver an opportunity to respond and head into the holiday period with less pressure.
“After a few days of rest following Spa, I am ready to take on the Hungaroring this weekend, with the aim of going into the break in a positive frame of mind,” Pierre Gasly said. “The situation has become more difficult over the last few weeks, with some of our rivals making life more complicated for us in both qualifying and the race when it comes to the leading positions.
“We know what we need to do to improve, but we have to accept that there is no immediate solution. There are some areas where we know we can improve, so that will be our focus this weekend: taking care of the small details and trying to maximise the final result.
“The Hungaroring represents a very different challenge compared with Spa or Silverstone, the last two races we contested. It is a much more technical circuit with different conditions, and it will be interesting to see how it works with this generation of cars. I was disappointed not to score points at Spa, so I am heading to Budapest hungry and motivated to achieve a strong result for the team.”
With Alpine and Racing Bulls separated by little or nothing in the championship battle described by the source, every position could prove important in Budapest. The latest points totals can be followed through the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship standings.
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