FIRST LOOK: Alpine unveil new car ahead of 2026 F1 season

Alpine have pulled the covers off their 2026 F1 car, the A526, during a launch event in Barcelona ahead of next week’s shakedown.

Two days on from the challenger getting its first track running as part of a filming day at Silverstone, Alpine gave fans a look at their new machine and its livery for the upcoming campaign.

As in recent years, the Enstone-based outfit have continued with their distinctive blue and pink colour scheme as they prepare to go racing in a season that will feature a wave of new technical regulations.

Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto remain as the squad’s driver line-up, while the leadership team features Managing Director Steve Nielsen – who joined in September – and Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore.

The team will be hoping to make major strides forward following a tough 2025 season that saw them finish last in the Constructors' Standings with just 22 points, 48 behind their nearest rival Kick Sauber.

They elected to switch their focus to developing the 2026 challenger at an early stage to prepare for both the new regulations and the major change in power unit from Renault to Mercedes, leaving Gasly and Colapinto with plenty to adjust to ahead of the first race.

“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for BWT Alpine Formula One Team,” Flavio Briatore said of the launch. “It is with great pleasure to begin our season here in Barcelona with our partner MSC Cruises on board the MSC World Europa as we prepare for what will undoubtedly be a unique season in Formula One history, not least for us with the new technical regulations, which offer a clean sheet of paper and a great opportunity for us to be more competitive than previous campaigns.

“It has been a relentless few months at the Enstone factory in preparation for the season, designing and creating the A526, together with Mercedes-AMG who will supply the new power unit and gearbox from this season; a partnership we are very much excited about.

“To be joined by so many of our partners including title partner BWT, our hosts MSC Cruises and premium partner Eni at this event, where we unveil our livery, is just fantastic. I thank them all, both new partners, and existing ones, for their commitment to the team, especially after our challenges on track last year.”

After scoring the entirety of the team's points last season, Gasly will continue his role as lead driver in his fourth year with Alpine as they seek a return to more competitive form.

"I must say I’m really excited for this season," he said. "It’s a big opportunity for us as a team and it’s a big opportunity for us drivers. It’s going to be very technical and there will be a lot of things to learn, probably to adapt to, but it’s exciting. At the end of the day, we all want to win. The team has done a fantastic job over the winter, preparing as best as they could.

"Obviously last year was quite tough but I think it actually made us a lot closer as a team. We managed to really dig into the work we were doing all together and that put us in a much stronger position. I’m very optimistic with the potential we can display and I hope that for everyone working on this project – supporting us, our partners, all of the team behind us – we will have a car to provide them with the results they deserve."

Colapinto added: "For the first time in my career, I have had a proper off-season in preparation for a full-time year right from testing and the first race. For me, this is really important as I feel a real part of the project and it means I can really work hard with everyone at the team from the beginning.

“We have had a good chance to see the car and prepare on the simulator. Of course, it is very different to anything I have experienced so far and I think that is the same for most drivers on the grid. There are new tricks and new challenges to learn to extract the most from the package and I see that as a truly amazing challenge."