Alpine played a plenary for 2026, will the successes arrive?
The Estone team chose a risky strategy: throwing 2025 and betting everything to the new regulation. With new director, CEO support, Pierre Gasly renewal, only to know what will happen to Franco Colapinto.
When the 2026 season of Formula 1 begins, there will not be a tomorrow for the Alpine team: they must fight up without excuses. All teams will start from zero for the change in the technical regulations, which will bring new cars and grill engines. When traveling everything directly to zero, anything can happen and the team that takes out an initial advantage, probably dominates the season. In the case of the French, there is no other path than is not success.
The main reason for Alpine pressure is clear: They chose to rule out 2025, with all that that entails. Flavio Briatore arrived at the ranks of Estone in 2024 as executive advisor, in the end, the man who makes important decisions. And what if he did. He closed the Viry Renault engines plant, when work was already worked on the 2026 power unit, and decided to close a deal with Mercedes to provide them from next year. An daring movement in the history of the rhombus, a brand that developed many F1 champions. But it was not just that: he determined that all development and work efforts pointed to the 2026 car, discarding any improvement in the A525.
Of course, this year’s results barely exceed the Paupérimos line. After 16 great awards, its squalid harvest of points barely reaches 20, all by the hand of Pierre Gasly, and comfortably occupies the last place in the construction table. The penultimate duplicates, and a little more, A Alpine: Haas is ninth, with 44. Briatore recognized as a mistake to have thrown into the 2025. “I think we made an error when putting all the efforts in the 2026 car. We thought that the 2025 car was more competitive. All others improved. We thought that everyone was developing the 2026 car and that they did not continue to develop this year. 2025. We don’t look at the next year and others, ”said Piedmontés. Did he sinned innocent or started the year sleepy? Anyway, Alpine this year does not fight for anything.
If the mind was definitely put in 2026, it will be necessary to analyze in what state of situation the French are. First, Luca de Meo’s departure as Renault World CEO filled with doubts to the future of the F1 team. The Italian was the one who supported the presence of the brand in the World Cup. After his resignation, he had to wait for his successor to know what would hold the future of Alpine F1. François Provost sat in the presidential chair and gave a clear sign of support for continuity in the category.
The Frenchman was last weekend in Monza, during the Italy GP. He posed for the photo with Briatore, Gasly and Franco Colapinto. Alpine dressed in the paddock dressed and left a clear message: “The main objective of my visit is to reaffirm that we stay in Formula 1,” he said in statements to Canal+. Executive support was vital for the future.
In addition to the visit of Provost, in Monza there were two important facts for the future of Alpine. Finally Steve Nielsen debuted in the position of director, since he was vacant since Oliver Oakes resigned untimely after the Miami GP. The English, with the past next to BriTore in Benetton and Renault (in addition to having worked for the FIA and F1) is, from the Italian GP, the man who is on a day -to -day basis and reports to Briatare. The lack of preparation of the cars that was seen in some races (collapint brake discs in Canada or water leak in the Belgium Sprint for Gasly, are a couple of examples). Nielsen will be key to the work in Estone and in the races.
In Monza, the extension of Galsy’s contract was also agreed. The Frenchman had a signed link until the end of 2026 and extended until 2028, with an increase in his salary: he went from 10 to 16 million dollars per year, with the possibility of another 10 in bonds (the figure would reach the maximum if he is world champion). “Of course I looked at other options, it’s normal. It’s not that it was an obvious decision seeing this year’s performance. I think this is a very strong option. You just have to wait and show a good performance from next season. Flavio convinced me to move on and the potential of the team,” said the Frenchman.
The last place of builders 2025 from which Alpine Hardly leaves (miracles such as San Pablo 2024 are given one in a million) will bring two scenarios to the team: It will be the one with the least silver collected (the prize are distributed by the position), but the positive thing is that it will have more wind tunnel hours. The higher the table is, the lower the amount of development time.
In the Andamiaje of 2026 it only remains to define a position for nothing less: the second pilot. Briatore went from criticism of hard to care in a week with respect to Franco Colapinto. The Argentine pilot had, within the context of Alpine of course, good yields in the last three races (Hungary, the Netherlands and Italy). The Italian Pope said that the decision will arrive in November and that four or five more races will be taken to evaluate the actions of the ex-Williams. The actions of Buenos Aires seem to have gained strength with their last actions in BriTore’s thinking. Outside the Argentine, there is Paul Aron’s option (Team Reserve) and some point to Yuki Tsunoda, every day outside Red Bull. Collapint’s performance will mark his future.
For Alpine, 2026 will be glory or devotee, there will be no middle ground. In Estone they opted for a risky road and a plenary was played next season. They were slaves of their destiny. If within a year, when the F1 is running for the first time to the urban of Madrid, the situation is far from the fight, without a doubt, a few fuses will jump.
