Alpine F1 Team: State of Play After Three Rounds of the 2026 Season

The state of play at Alpine after three rounds of the 2026 season Alpine have enjoyed a strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season, sitting fifth in the Constructors’ Championship after the first three races. The French team, now powered by Mercedes engines following a switch from Renault, have shown marked improvement over their 2025 campaign, where they finished at the bottom of the standings. With a settled driver lineup of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, Alpine have begun to close the gap to the midfield. Gasly has been the team’s standout performer, scoring points in all three Grands Prix so far. After a disappointing Q2 exit in the Australian Grand Prix, he fought back to finish 10th in Melbourne. He then secured sixth place in the Shanghai Grand Prix and followed it with a seventh-place finish at Suzuka. Gasly as well reached Q3 in both China and Japan, demonstrating consistent progress in qualifying. Colapinto, while not matching his teammate’s pace early on, has shown signs of adaptation. Starting further down the grid, he earned his first point for Alpine with a hard-fought tenth-place finish in China. That result marked the first time both Alpine cars finished in the points since the team’s return to competitiveness, although contact with Esteban Ocon during the race prevented a potentially higher finish. The team’s improvement is attributed in part to the regulatory changes for the 2026 season, which include revised power unit configurations and new active aerodynamics. Alpine’s decision to adopt Mercedes power units has already yielded benefits, as noted in pre-season testing and early race performance. The switch has helped address previous power deficits and contributed to better overall competitiveness. As the season progresses, Alpine aim to build on this strong start. Their current position—just two points behind fourth-placed Haas in the Constructors’ Championship—reflects a tangible step forward. However, sustaining this momentum will require continued development and reliability as the field remains tightly contested in the midfield battle.