“Motivated for a strong season”: Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto unveil the Alpine A526. Alpine reveals the A526, with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto aiming to push the team.

Alpine has officially revealed its new A526, the Formula 1 car that Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will drive as they aim to bring the French team back into the midfield fight. Naturally, the ambitions of the Enstone-based team are higher, but reaching the top requires both time and consistency. During the past season, Alpine underwent a significant internal restructuring, forming new partnerships along the way, starting with Mercedes, which is now supplying the team’s power units. Will 2026 truly mark the beginning of a new era for the French outfit? Here are the first impressions and thoughts from their driver pair.

Pierre Gasly’s words

“This is the first time in my career that the entire car has undergone such significant changes,” says the French driver. “Obviously, everyone is venturing into somewhat uncharted territory, but as a driver, I find it incredibly exciting. The team has come a long way to reach this point. We have worked hard on the simulator over the past year to prepare for the new regulations, and I know that everyone at Enstone has put in tremendous effort to develop the best possible package.”

“What we will see in the first weeks of the year, starting with next week’s shakedown, will be interesting, but it is not the final product. We will continue learning and developing the entire package every time we are on track,” he added.

Despite the team’s goal of having a strong season, Gasly remains realistic: “I’m not setting any specific expectations. It’s about working hard with the team to understand which areas need improvement, and we will approach it day by day, simply trying to be as competitive as possible throughout the year. Of course, I am excited and optimistic, but very realistic in my ambitions. Right now, I feel immense pride that the team has achieved all its goals in preparing the A526,” he concluded.

Franco Colapinto’s words

The Argentine driver did not hide his excitement about returning to the track: “For the first time in my career, I had a proper off-season to prepare for a full year, starting from the tests and the first race. This is very important to me because I feel like an integral part of the project, which means I can work closely with all team members from the very beginning.”

“We had a great opportunity to see the car and prepare on the simulator. Obviously, it is very different from anything I’ve experienced before, and I think it’s the same for most drivers on the grid. There are new tricks and challenges to learn to get the maximum out of the package, and I see it as an incredibly exciting challenge,” the Argentine added.

“I know that everyone in the team is extremely motivated to have a strong season. I will focus on learning as much as possible in the first races, continuing to build and grow, and I hope that means we can be competitive as a team,” he concluded.