Gasly warns he’s “very much realistic” as Alpine start 2026 reset

16:01, 23 Jan

Updated: 16:07, 23 Jan

by

Pierre Gasly says he is not setting himself "any expectations" as Alpine launched their A526 livery on a cruise ship in Barcelona on Friday.

"Of course, everyone heads into this unknown territory, but, as a driver, I find that so exciting."

- Pierre Gasly

The Frenchman enters his tenth season with a sense of optimism and excitement, but has warned that he will have to be "very much realistic" in his ambitions.

Alpine will be hoping to bounce back from a dreadful 2025 campaign. The Enstone-based squad finished dead last in the constructors' standings, with all of their 22 points scored by Gasly alone.

For the first time in the French team's history, they will not be using their own engines in 2026, as their Renault power units will be swapped out for Mercedes power - an exciting change given that the Silver Arrows head into 2026 as the favourites.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team

@AlpineF1Team

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Countless hours, dedication and team work has formulated our car. Introducing… A526 🏎️

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11:57 AM · Jan 23, 2026

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In a press release, Gasly said: "This is the first time in my career where the entire car has had such significant changes.

"Of course, everyone heads into this unknown territory, but, as a driver, I find that so exciting. This has been a long road for the team to reach this point. We have been working hard on the simulator over the past year in preparation for these new regulations and I know everyone at Enstone has worked extremely hard to develop the best possible package.

"What we see in the first few weeks of the year, beginning with the shakedown next week, will be interesting but this is not the final product as we will continue to learn and develop the entire package each time we're on track."

Gasly tempers expectations

Alpine's 2026 challenger, the A526 - Photo: BWT Alpine F1 Team

Despite the excitement, Gasly was realistic on what to expect from Alpine in 2026, with a huge overhaul to the regulations bring shorter, narrower cars, and an unprecedented split between electrical power and internal combustion.

"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."

"Of course, I am excited and optimistic, but very much realistic in my ambitions. Right now, my feeling is of immense pride that the team has reached all its milestones in preparing the A526."

Colapinto eager to learn

BWT Alpine Formula One Team

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As looks go, this one is strong. Introducing our 2026 race kit 💪

12:03 PM · Jan 23, 2026

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Teammate Franco Colapinto was equally excited to get 2026 underway - his first full season in F1 - and highlighted the importance of learning about the new regulations as quickly as possible.

The young Argentine failed to score a point in 2025, but was praised by Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore for an increased maturity and consistency that earned him his 2026 seat.

"Firstly, I am so excited," Colapinto said.

"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 / 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."

"I know everyone at the team is extremely motivated to have a good season. / will just try to learn as much as possible in the early races, keep building, keep growing and hopefully that will mean we can be competitive as a team," the Argentine concluded.

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