Alpine debuts Mercedes-powered A526 at Silverstone: a fresh start after 2025's struggles

Alpine's redemption arc commenced on Wednesday at Silverstone, where the French outfit conducted a crucial shakedown of its 2026 F1 car, the A526, in typically British wet weather conditions. Pierre Gasly, who will partner with Jack Doohan in the team's 2026 lineup, took the wheel for the maiden voyage, piloting the Enstone-based squad's new challenger less than a week before the official pre-season testing begins at Barcelona on January 26-30.

The shakedown represented far more than a routine mechanics' exercise. This was Alpine's first opportunity to validate the A526 on track and, crucially, to experience their revolutionary new power unit arrangement. Alpine has abandoned Renault's long-running manufacturer programme, transitioning to Mercedes customer engines—a seismic shift in the team's philosophy after decades of in-house power unit development. By becoming the fourth team to complete a 2026 shakedown, following Audi, Cadillac, and Racing Bulls, Alpine demonstrated their commitment to maximizing early preparation time ahead of the new regulatory era.

Escaping the depths: 2025's cautionary tale

The 2025 season dealt Alpine a devastating blow. The team finished last in the constructors' championship, a humbling position for a squad with Enstone's illustrious heritage. The strategic decision to halt development of the A525 in early June proved both necessary and symbolically important—it represented management's acceptance that recovery required a total reset rather than incremental improvements.

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen articulated the team's ambitions with refreshing candour at the Abu Dhabi season finale. "I want to be racing every week, ideally for points," Nielsen stated. "We've managed that on the odd weekend this year, but too often we've been a long way off at the back. That's not where this team belongs, it's not where Enstone traditionally is, and it's not where we want to be. We need to be fighting at the top end of the midfield for points every weekend."

This is not hollow rhetoric. The regulatory changes coming to Formula 1 in 2026—affecting both chassis architecture and power unit specifications—provide a genuine opportunity for ambitious midfield contenders to reset their competitive positioning. Alpine's gamble is that transitioning to Mercedes customer power will eliminate a historical disadvantage while the new technical framework allows their engineering team to build a more competitive package from the ground up.

The road ahead

Alpine's shakedown voyage concludes a critical preparatory phase. The team is scheduled to hold its official 2026 season launch on Friday, January 23, aboard a cruise ship off the Barcelona coast as part of their partnership with MSC. This unconventional launch venue signals the team's desire to make a statement—turning their comeback narrative into a spectacle rather than a standard paddock presentation.

The next crucial milestone arrives with the Barcelona pre-season test, where Alpine will integrate their shakedown learnings against the competitive reality of rival teams. With Gasly, a driver hungry to prove his credentials at the sport's highest level, and the full weight of Enstone's engineering heritage backing a complete technical overhaul, Alpine enters 2026 with legitimate aspirations to reclaim midfield prominence and restore the glory associated with their storied facility.