The French manufacturer’s team presented its 2026 single-seater which will feature a Mercedes engine, this replacing the Renault unit. A revolution.
From the outside, almost nothing has really changed. The French brand’s iconic “alpine heritage” blue is still there. The pink of the main sponsor BWT too. These two colors will make up, as in 2025, the dress of the A526, the new single-seater from the team based in Enstone (England) presented this Friday in Barcelona. But under the hood, a real revolution took place this winter with the presence of an engine now supplied by Mercedes.
Exit Renault, Alpine opens a new page in its history
Exit the historic power unit of the diamond, Flavio Briatore and his troops now drive thanks to a foreign hybrid V6. Sad news for lovers of the historic French brand which for decades has meticulously prepared engines in Viry-Châtillon to try to make the Marseillaise sound on the podiums. A page has just been turned and the next one could hold some nice surprises because it is being said almost everywhere that the Mercedes engine is ahead of the competition…
Tom Baigent
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“The last few months have been particularly intense at the Enstone factory preparing for the season, designing and developing the A526 in collaboration with Mercedes-AMG, which is supplying the new powertrain and gearbox from this year onwards. We are really excited about this partnership,” commented team boss Flavio Briatore during a presentation organized… on a cruise liner, since BWT Alpine Formula One Team, the official name of the team, is sponsored by a maritime tourism giant.
Tom Baigent
A Mercedes engine, the very good news for 2026?
The 2026 dress has therefore not changed much compared to that of 2025. The characteristics, yes, after the total overhaul of the technical regulations and the engines. The dimensions and weight have been significantly reduced: 200 mm less in length, 100 mm less in width and a total weight reduction of 30 kg. “The car is shorter and narrower than those of recent years, with more aerodynamic freedom. We find active aerodynamics, which allows us to have movable wings at the front and rear, a novelty for the vast majority of current drivers. The reduction in downforce and drag should make the races even more competitive, which should captivate fans.warned David Sanchez, the executive technical director.
Alpine
The A526 will be entrusted to Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto. The Frenchman will already be attacking!) his tenth season in Formula 1 after having scored all of his team’s points last year (25 with 18th place). He will once again be the main asset of an entity looking for a rebound after a very disappointing 10th place in the manufacturers’ ranking. The Norman remains cautious: “I don’t set a specific goal for myself. We will have to work hard with the team to identify areas for progress. We will move forward day by day, trying to be as competitive as possible throughout the year. I am obviously enthusiastic and optimistic, but also realistic about my ambitions.
Gasly and Briatore very discreet about the objectives
The car will be on track with the rest of the competition from Monday in Barcelona for private tests which will make it possible to establish an initial inventory but certainly not to take stock of the forces present with these completely new single-seaters. “What we see from shakedown next week will be interesting, but it won’t be the final cars. We will continue to learn to develop the package every time we take to the track,” and prevent Gasly. “We are moving forward step by step. We don’t know where we will be in the first race, let alone the last,” added Flavio Briatore.
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