After finishing last in the 2025 season, Alpine has shifted its focus entirely to the 2026 project, foregoing further development of the A525. Flavio Briatore, speaking to the media, explained the reasoning behind the team’s optimism: “I will consider our work a success if we finish in the top six or seven every race.” This represents a significant leap for a team that ended 2025 at the bottom of the standings, but Briatore points to one key factor that gives him confidence: the team started development of the 2026 car on January 2 last year, abandoning further work on the A525 entirely.
“With last year’s power unit, we had a gap of three to four tenths. Considering the margins in the 2025 championship, fourteen cars were within that four-tenth window. It didn’t make much sense to continue developing the car. I decided it was better to take some hits—even if at times it was too much—but we pushed forward, giving up on the A525 to focus entirely on the 2026 project. Today, we have a solid power unit and a completely new group of people working at the factory,” Briatore explained.
He added, “Our advantage was starting development of the 2026 car much earlier than our competitors. On this front, I believe we had a three to four-month head start. This year, no one can blame power unit or gearbox gaps. Now it’s up to our engineers to integrate the aerodynamics into the car and put our drivers in the best possible position. At least we no longer have to worry about two major components: the engine and the gearbox.”
Encouraging signs from the A526 filming day
The first positive signals came from Alpine’s A526 filming day at Silverstone. Briatore said, “We covered fewer kilometres than planned due to aquaplaning—140 in total, because in some areas there was ten centimeters of water! Mercedes was luckier with the weather, but for the first time in my long F1 experience, the car started and ran without any issues. Usually, there’s always something with oil or temperatures, but over the radio, it was silent. That’s good news.”
Driver performance remains crucial
Although the technical team at Enstone has been provided with all the resources to hit their targets, results will also depend on the drivers’ performance. Pierre Gasly, coming off a strong 2025, faces less pressure, while for Franco Colapinto the upcoming season is pivotal. Briatore explained, “Every driver has a role comparable to a CEO: in our case, they make the work of a thousand people count. Behind the driver are hundreds of engineers working day and night to make the car competitive, and their salaries are not the same as the driver’s. We must respect the people who work hard.”
He added, “What we expect from the driver is to do the best possible job. Franco’s first true F1 season was last year, and he joined us with high expectations that weren’t always managed perfectly. This year he’s more mature; he’s no longer the 2025 rookie. We’ve spent a lot of time with him this winter. Last season, his main problem was qualifying, because in the race he was as fast as Pierre. He just needs to harness his talent without letting emotions interfere, and as I said, he’s growing. He’s done very well in preparation at the factory and spent a lot of time in the simulator. I can say we’ve done everything possible, now we’ll see what the track says.”
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