After enduring a challenging 2025 season that saw Alpine finish last in the Constructors’ Championship, Pierre Gasly finally has reason to smile as the team unveils its Mercedes-powered A526 challenger.

The wait is over for Pierre Gasly. After nine months of struggling at the back of the Formula 1 grid, the French driver witnessed the unveiling of Alpine’s 2026 contender—the A526—during a special launch event aboard a cruise ship in Barcelona on Friday, marking what executive advisor Flavio Briatore called « the beginning of a new chapter. »

The Painful Sacrifice of 2025

Alpine’s decision to sacrifice their 2025 season was made early and with clear purpose. The Enstone-based team effectively stopped development work on their A525 car in January 2025, redirecting all resources toward preparing for the new technical regulations coming into effect for 2026.

The price of that strategic choice was steep. Alpine finished dead last among the 10 teams in the 2025 Constructors’ Championship with just 22 points—though notably, this made them statistically the « best worst team » in F1 history. Gasly shouldered the majority of the team’s points, while teammate Franco Colapinto struggled to find his feet until the latter stages of the season.

A Promising Debut at Silverstone

The A526 had already completed its first shakedown at Silverstone earlier in the week, with Gasly behind the wheel on a rainy Wednesday. The French driver completed 140 kilometers of the 200-kilometer allowance, with the shortened run attributed solely to weather conditions rather than mechanical issues—a promising sign for the reliability-conscious team.

Briatore expressed his satisfaction with the trouble-free debut: « For the first time in my long F1 career, the car goes out, comes in, goes out again and never stays in. Normally you have to add oil, monitor temperatures… and there, everyone on the radio was silent. That was the good news. Nobody was talking. »

The Mercedes Power Unit Partnership

The A526 represents Alpine’s transition from works team to customer operation, marking the end of Renault’s long-standing power unit program. The switch to Mercedes engines—widely tipped to have developed the strongest power unit for the new regulations—was announced in September 2024.

This isn’t Enstone’s first experience with Mercedes power; the facility ran Mercedes engines in 2015 when it operated under the Lotus name. Alpine has effectively replaced Aston Martin in Mercedes’ customer pool, joining McLaren and Williams.

Building Team Unity Through Adversity

Despite the frustrations of 2025, Gasly maintained his confidence in the Enstone team throughout the difficult months. The French driver believes the shared struggles actually strengthened the collective.

High Expectations for 2026

Entering his fourth season with Alpine, Gasly makes no secret of his ambitions. After years of fighting in the midfield and at the back, he’s hungry for consistent competitiveness.

Briatore has set clear expectations for both drivers, with particular focus on Colapinto raising his performance level to match Gasly’s. « I expect the best, » the Italian stated firmly. « This year is not the time for excuses anymore. We have a brand new car. We have the same drivers. »

The Road Ahead

With the introduction of new regulations featuring overhauled engine rules and major chassis changes, Alpine faces a robust testing schedule. The behind-closed-doors Barcelona test runs from January 26-30, followed by two sessions in Bahrain on February 11-13 and February 18-20.

The new technical regulations will remain in place for five seasons, making a strong start crucial for long-term competitiveness. Teams that nail the formula from the outset—as Mercedes did in 2014—can establish dominance that lasts years.

For Gasly, the nine-month wait through 2025’s struggles was a calculated gamble. Now, with the A526 on track and showing early reliability, the French driver and his Alpine team can finally look forward with genuine optimism.

Whether that optimism translates into the front-running performances Gasly craves will be revealed when the 2026 season begins. But after enduring the darkest period in recent Alpine history, the team has earned the right to dream big again.