Adieu Renault
The 2026 Australian Grand Prix does not only coincide with the start of the new season and the introduction of a revolutionary technical regulation, but also with the opening of a historic chapter for Alpine. The French team, which finished in last position in the Constructors’ championship last year encountering clear competitive difficulties, will no longer participate with Renault engines. Consequently, for the first time, Alpine will be a customer team of another entity like Mercedes, with which it has signed a multi-year contract.
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The ‘study’ in testing
It therefore remains to be seen whether this turning point will lead to benefits in terms of results for the transalpine manufacturer after a 2025 to forget, during which only Pierre Gasly managed to achieve points finishes and on only five occasions: “I am excited to go to Melbourne for the start of the new Formula 1 season and to race for the first time with the new regulations – the French driver declared – the cars are completely different from those I have had throughout my career and spending the pre-season understanding how to get the most out of the new Power Units, active aerodynamics, Boost and Overtake modes has been an exciting challenge. We achieved great results in Barcelona and Bahrain last month, and I am very proud of the team and all the hard work they have done. Last week I returned to Enstone with the simulator and everyone did an extraordinary job to put us in a good position to race in Australia. The Albert Park circuit will be a very interesting test for the new cars. The tracks we have driven on so far are very different from this one, with medium-speed corners in Barcelona and intense braking in Bahrain, a big difference compared to the fluid nature of this circuit, which is often unpredictable with the Melbourne weather. There are many factors that we need to keep an eye on and manage as best as possible while driving competitively. Friday will be important to find the right setup, then we will see where we are in qualifying, where I can’t wait to push the car to the limit and put into practice some of the new techniques we had to learn. I can’t wait to find out what Formula 1 will be like in 2026″.
First year as an official driver
News also for the F1 experience of the Argentine Franco Colapinto, who for the first time in his career will start a season as an official driver. Previously, in 2024, he had replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams from the Italian GP, and then took over at Alpine last year from Jake Doohan starting from Imola: “I can’t wait to get on track in Melbourne and start the new racing season. This will be my third season in Formula 1, but it is the first time ever that I have prepared with pre-season testing and competed in the first Grand Prix of the year. This has been personally useful for me to understand these new cars, as we aim to have a competitive season. We had overall positive tests in Barcelona and Bahrain and collected a lot of important data that we analyzed at Enstone with some very busy days in the simulator. In every session we learn more and more, and this will certainly be useful when we start the free practice sessions at Albert Park. The circuit is very fast, I raced there in F2 and F3, and I expect it to be a very interesting challenge for this new generation of Formula 1 cars. We will work hard on Friday to be in the best possible position for qualifying and the race, and I can’t wait to push the car to the limit and see where we are. It will be a new way of racing for all of us and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds”.
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