Alpine reveals livery for 2026 F1 car
The presentation of the Alpine A526 took place almost immediately after a similar event held in Maranello, but it was organised in a far more ceremonial manner.
The event dedicated to Renault’s works team was held aboard the World Europa cruise ship, which was moored in the Port of Barcelona. This choice of venue was due to MSC Cruises being one of Alpine’s main partners.
The team emphasised that only the official livery of the new car was unveiled, and experts immediately noted that beneath the cover removed by Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto — accompanied by rhythmic music and lighting effects — was a show car. Only during testing will the real car be visible.
The team’s objectives for the 2026 season were then outlined in turn by Flavio Briatore, the team’s drivers, and CEO Steve Nielsen and Technical Director David Sanchez.
From this year on, Alpine will use Mercedes power units, which will be a key factor for the Enstone-based team in the upcoming season.
After a difficult 2025 campaign, the team is hoping to take a significant step forward. Last year, Alpine finished last in the Constructors’ Championship with just 22 points, trailing their closest rival, Kick Sauber, by 48 points.
Flavio Briatore: “Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for BWT Alpine Formula One Team. It is with great pleasure to begin our season here in Barcelona with our partner MSC Cruises on board the MSC World Europa as we prepare for what will undoubtedly be a unique season in Formula One history, not least for us with the new technical regulations, which offer a clean sheet of paper and a great opportunity for us to be more competitive than previous campaigns.
It has been a relentless few months at the Enstone factory in preparation for the season, designing and creating the A526, together with Mercedes-AMG who will supply the new power unit and gearbox from this season; a partnership we are very much excited about.
To be joined by so many of our partners including title partner BWT, our hosts MSC Cruises and premium partner Eni at this event, where we unveil our livery, is just fantastic. I thank them all, both new partners, and existing ones, for their commitment to the team, especially after our challenges on track last year”.
After scoring the entirety of the team’s points last season, Gasly will continue his role as lead driver in his fourth year with Alpine as they seek a return to more competitive form.
Pierre Gasly: “I must say I’m really excited for this season. It’s a big opportunity for us as a team and it’s a big opportunity for us drivers. It’s going to be very technical and there will be a lot of things to learn, probably to adapt to, but it’s exciting. At the end of the day, we all want to win. The team has done a fantastic job over the winter, preparing as best as they could.
Obviously last year was quite tough but I think it actually made us a lot closer as a team. We managed to really dig into the work we were doing all together and that put us in a much stronger position. I’m very optimistic with the potential we can display and I hope that for everyone working on this project – supporting us, our partners, all of the team behind us – we will have a car to provide them with the results they deserve”.
Franco Colapinto: “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 I 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”.
