Alpine is the next team on the grid to announce its challenger for the 2026 Formula 1 season from the Panorama Lounge of the MSC World Europa. The French team unveiled their 2026 livery, the A526, in an exciting livestream ahead of the shakedown in Barcelona.
A new era for Alpine in 2026
The A526 features Alpine’s classic chassis design with a primarily blue livery paired with pink details, continuing the French team’s distinctive colour palette.
Amid the changes to the technical regulations in 2026, Alpine also announced the end of its engine partnership with its own Renault power unit programme. The French team will now work alongside Mercedes-AMG from the 2026 season onwards till 2030. This makes Alpine the fourth team on the grid to work with Mercedes, the other teams include Mercedes themselves, Williams and 2025 Title Champions McLaren.
Flavio Briatore spoke at the launch event and shared his thoughts on Alpine entering the next chapter in Formula 1 under the new regulations.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for BWT Alpine Formula One Team, 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.” says Flavio Briatore
He also took the time to highlight the team’s joint effort that went into the making of the A526 and spoke on Alpine’s new partnership with Mercedes-AMG.
“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.”
Bouncing back from a tough season
The 2025 Formula 1 season was a challenging season for Alpine, both on and off track. Early on in the season, the team made headlines after they announced an early driver change and the exit of their team principal after only six rounds of the 2025 season. Rookie driver Jack Doohan and then reserve driver Franco Colapinto swapped seats following the Miami GP weekend. Colapinto was originally assigned a five-race stint but was later offered the seat full-time.
The other shocking announcement from Alpine in the first half of the season was Oliver Oakes‘ immediate removal from the team as the Team Principal, despite having only taken on the role 10 months ago. Executive Adviser Flavio Briatore then took over the role of Team Principal.
On track, the team did not fare any better as they faced constant difficulties throughout the season. Alpine was another team on the grid which did not prioritise further development for the 2025 livery and instead chose to focus on the 2026 challenger, given the regulation changes coming into effect the next season. The Enstone outfit found themselves out of the points on multiple occasions and faced a significant number of technical issues from both drivers the season prior. Highlighting the car’s unreliability and overall lack of performance.
Alpine concluded the 2025 Formula 1 season last in the standings, in a frustrating tenth, with only 22 points. This placed the team 48 points behind Sauber in ninth. The French team will be looking to bounce back from the challenging season with their new challenger and a new power unit from Mercedes as they enter a new era of regulations in Formula 1.
Alpine’s 2026 driver lineup
Amid all the changes Alpine faced during the 2025 season, Pierre Gasly was the one constant of the French team. The Frenchman will be entering his ninth season in Formula 1 and his third with Alpine in 2026. Gasly had signed a contract extension with the team earlier in the 2025 season and will continue racing with the team until the end of 2028.
Gasly’s best performance of the season came in Silverstone, with a season-best sixth-place finish. Another key highlight of his 2025 season was his finish in tenth at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which marked Alpine’s only points in the second half of the season. The Frenchman finished the 2025 Formula 1 season 18th in the standings with 22 points and was responsible for scoring all of the team’s points. Gasly will be looking forward to maximising his full potential on track with the A526 in 2026.
Racing alongside Gasly is Franco Colapinto, the Argentinian driver who took over Doohan’s seat earlier in the 2025 season from Round 7 onwards in Imola. Colapinto is one of the only two drivers who did not face a DNF in any of the main races of the 2025 season. Despite this, he finished the season 20th in the standings and was unable to score any points in the season. This will be something the Argentinian will be looking to rectify as he enters his first full season with Alpine in 2026.
