Alpine Still Feels French, Targets 2026 Glory

Alpine’s still waving the French flag in Formula 1, even if France itself isn’t waving back. Renault CEO Luca de Meo isn’t sweating it. “We remain a French team, of course,” he told Auto Hebdo, shrugging off the lack of local love. “History has led us in this direction, but if we could find French talent, French sponsors too, we would have them. But we can’t find any. So we have to look for opportunities elsewhere. But we still consider Alpine as the French national team in Formula 1.”

Flavio Briatore, the Italian fixer shaking up Alpine after its 2024 nosedive, sees a pulse. “The car is much better,” he told Canal Plus in Bahrain. “We have new and very important sponsors and the team is starting to take shape.” Mercado Libre, tied to reserve driver Franco Colapinto, is one cash injection fueling the climb.

“We are starting to have a racing team again,” Briatore said. “Pierre is happy with the performance of the car and a lot of things will change again soon in the team. We have to be competitive again, be an aggressive team, capable of winning races. I have given myself three years to put Alpine back in its place in Formula 1 because we have everything to do well. Everything.”

The 2025 car’s a stepping stone—observers call it a “recycled” 2024 chassis with tweaks—but Alpine’s eyes are on 2026’s new regs. The Viry-Chatillon engine shop shuts down this year, swapping French-built power for Mercedes customer units.

Pierre Gasly, testing the new rig, feels the shift. “In terms of feeling, I would say it is a continuation of what I felt at the end of last year, with some developments,” he told L’Equipe. “I think we have a healthy base.” With rookie Jack Doohan beside him and Colapinto waiting in the wings, Gasly’s the anchor. “I know that there is a lot of attention on my technical feedback now,” he said. “The team does not hide it. I see that they are all listening to me.”

He’s leaning into it. “For me, it is a position that requires a little more responsibility but I appreciate it,” Gasly added. “I feel that there is much more serenity in the team than there was last year at the same time. You could almost say that it’s night and day.”