Pierre Gasly demands more from Alpine in China as Franco Colapinto reflects on “impressive” Melbourne escape. Alpine drivers ready for China GP: Gasly optimistic, Colapinto motivated.

Alpine, Gasly seeks more in China as Colapinto reflects on Melbourne challenges

Alpine has found a bit of breathing room at the start of the 2026 season. The French team comes off a difficult 2025 campaign, a year in which they had little to no influence on the outcomes. The team finished in tenth place without having any real chance to compete with the other constructors.

The decision to abandon the Renault power unit was not taken lightly, but switching to Mercedes engines has provided greater stability. This added confidence allowed Alpine to begin the new season with renewed energy. Pierre Gasly demonstrated this in the opening race, scoring a point with an excellent drive that kept the Haas of Esteban Ocon behind him, the American car finishing seventh with Oliver Bearman at the wheel.

Tenth place is no one’s dream

Finishing tenth is not what any Formula 1 driver dreams of, but for Pierre Gasly, it represents a solid starting point. “I left Melbourne with mixed feelings. Overall, I’m looking forward optimistically to the first sprint race of the season in Shanghai. Tenth place came after an intense battle. We’ve already made progress over the weekend, and I believe we’ll continue improving as we gain a deeper understanding of the car,” Pierre Gasly explained.

“We have a lot of new things to absorb, and some teams already seem much further ahead. If certain things had gone our way, we could have hoped for a bit more, but I think tenth place is a small reward. I’m not satisfied yet, and we’ll keep focusing on key areas to progress faster than others. We want more in Shanghai. It will be interesting to see where we stand on a track with fast corners and heavy braking zones.”

Colapinto reflects on the Australian start

Argentine driver Franco Colapinto finished 14th, suffering a large gap from the top ten, partly due to a penalty. He will be looking to improve in China. “I didn’t want to start the season like this. I received a penalty, and it made everything more complicated. At the start, I managed to avoid a major incident with Lawson. I’m happy I could pull off that maneuver and stay on track. Watching it all again in slow motion still impresses me a little. Aside from that, we made progress in understanding the car, and in Shanghai we’ll try to build from there. We’ll face the first sprint weekend of the year. It’s hard to predict what to expect right now,” Franco Colapinto concluded.

Alpine’s transition to Mercedes power marks a pivotal turning point in their quest to climb back into the midfield spotlight. While Pierre Gasly’s tenth-place finish in Melbourne offers a glimmer of hope, the team remains realistic about the chasm between them and the frontrunners. The upcoming Sprint format in China adds a layer of complexity, leaving very little time for Colapinto and Gasly to fine-tune their setups. If the Enstone engineers can capitalize on the data gathered from the Australian long runs, Alpine might just find the consistency needed to become a regular fixture in the points. The road to recovery is long, but for the first time in years, the “Blues” have a clear direction forward.