F1: Alpine’s 2026 Challenger the A526 enters new era

We’ve covered Audi’s R26 challenger and Ferrari’s SF-26. Both teams, along with the other nine entrants, are in Barcelona for a secretive shakedown test of their new cars.

Aside from Audi and Ferrari, several other teams have showcased their cars and new liveries, including Alpine. We take a look at the French team’s car and what their expectations are for 2026.

This season heralds a new set of regulations, with cars built to be smaller, lighter, and feature a 50:50 split between electric and petrol power.

Alpine A526

Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto will contest the A526 for the French team after a disappointing 2025. The outfit finished 10th in the constructors’ standings, scoring 22 points, all scored by Gasly.

The big shift for Alpine will see them move from a works team to a customer outfit. For the next four seasons, Alpine will use Mercedes engines and gearboxes.

At the team’s shakedown test at Silverstone, Gasly used up 140 out of a possible 200 kilometres allowed at the private shakedown. Gasly is in his 10th season in F1 and will once again lead the team, hopefully to more points.

“I am not setting myself any expectations. It will be a case of working really hard with the team to understand areas to improve, and we will take it day by day and just try to be as competitive as we can throughout the year,” the 29-year-old said.

In terms of its colour scheme, the A526 is festooned in blue and pink with a nod to the team’s main sponsor BWT.

“The A526 is a completely new car from front to back, chassis to power unit. The size and weight have significantly reduced, the dimensions by 200mm in length, the width by 100mm, and the kilos shaved off by 30kg in total,” the team said.

Engine and Gearbox Tie Up with Mercedes Hopes to Bring Reliability

The decision to become a customer team was not taken lightly. However, with a new set of regulations in 2026 and many departures within the team, the decision was made to use Mercedes’ expertise for the power unit and gearbox.

“Then, of course, we have more electric power in the power units since we have partnered with Mercedes-AMG for 2026. It has been fantastic to work closely with our new colleagues from Brixworth in recent months and weeks, as we all work together to understand how best to maximise the package,” said Technical Director David Sanchez.

The team is currently in Barcelona, taking part in the official shakedown test. The focus then turns to pre-season testing in Bahrain from February 11 to 13 at the Bahrain International Circuit. Finally, the last pre-season test will kick off from February 18 to 20.