The Alpine F1 Team heads to the 2026 Austrian GP in Spielberg with strong momentum following an intense start to the European phase of the 2026 F1 season. After a successful Right of Review petition officially restored Pierre Gasly’s third-place podium in Monaco, the team followed up with a double-points finish in Barcelona, where Gasly secured P7 and his teammate Franco Colapinto finished in P10. As they prepare for the weekend ahead, the team remains focused on closing the gap to the front.
Gasly warns of zero mistakes at the Red Bull Ring
Reflecting on an intense few weeks, Gasly explained that the recent stretch of races felt like an emotional rollercoaster for the team. While he expressed satisfaction with the team’s hard work and ongoing point-scoring streak, he admitted that the Qualifying execution remains a struggle.
The Frenchman noted that while their pace in Barcelona proved competitive, Alpine is still too far away from the top four teams on the grid.
Looking forward to the weekend, he explained that because the lap duration is so short and the track is high-speed, drivers must deliver entirely faultless sessions, as even a minor mistake will severely damage qualifying and race times.
Away from the paddock, he also mentioned that he has plans to watch and support the French national football team during their World Cup game on Friday.
“To say the last few weeks were an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement! I am very proud of the team’s efforts both on and off-track recently and it’s been great to continue our points-scoring run of form. Barcelona brought its challenges, especially in Qualifying which is an area we must keep working on. The race was much better, the pace was good, but we are still too far off the top four teams and we must keep striving to close that gap down. Austria is a tough track with little rest at the wheel. It’s high speed, lots of elevation changes, hard braking zones and quite short in duration which means you have to be faultless as any small mistake really punishes lap-time where fine margins count. Away from racing, I will of course be keeping an eye on the World Cup. France are playing on Friday, so I will definitely watch that and hopefully they can continue their winning run!”
Colapinto prepares for tight gaps at the 2026 F1 Austrian GP
Colapinto emphasised the great atmosphere currently driving the team forward after their recent double-points finish. He explained that he feels optimistic and he looks forward to returning to a venue where he enjoys a strong track record.
The Alpine driver pointed to his previous single-seater achievements at the circuit, highlighting a rookie podium in Formula 3 back in 2022 and a Formula 2 Feature race podium in 2024.
He explained that the flowing nature of the track makes it incredibly enjoyable to drive, but, like Gasly, warned that the short lap time leaves no room for mistakes. The Argentine stressed that maximising one-lap performance is absolutely vital, as the gaps will be tighter than usual.
Before heading to the track, Colapinto will visit title partner BWT in Mondsee to look at their local water filtration technology.
“It was positive for the team to secure another double points finish in Barcelona last time out. There is a very good feeling in the team now we are well underway in Europe and I’m looking forward to the next double-header starting this week in Spielberg. Before going to the track, I will be visiting BWT in Mondsee to see the amazing work they do with water filtration technology and the importance of clean water. I visited there last year and it is a very beautiful part of the world which I’m looking forward to seeing once again. In terms of the race, the track is a very fun one which flows nicely. I’ve had some success in the past there including a Feature Race podium in Formula 2 in 2024, and a podium in my Formula 3 rookie season in 2022. It’s the shortest lap time of the season which makes it feel relentless and because of this, one-lap pace has to be strong because the gaps will probably be smaller than on most circuits. We would like to continue fighting for points and, more than ever, will need to hit the ground running to continue to compete well with our rivals.”
Steve Nielsen outlines upgrade plans
Team Principal and Managing Director Steve Nielsen explained that the intense start to the European phase has allowed clear performance trends to show across the grid.
He noted that Alpine now fully understands the strengths and weaknesses of their current car. Aligning with his drivers, he identified Qualifying as the primary area where the team needs to improve. However, he praised the team’s Sunday execution, explaining that they have shown great ability to recover and fight for the points even when starting out of position on the grid.
To keep the competitiveness up, he revealed that Alpine will introduce new upgrades to the car over the course of the upcoming races ahead of the 2026 F1 Austrian GP. This weekend holds special significance as it is a home race for title partner BWT and it also leads up to the team’s own home race at Silverstone the following week.
Nielsen concluded by praising both Gasly and Colapinto for great execution while pushing for more performance.
“It has been a very intense start to the European segment of the season where we have been able to add more points to our season tally. Now we are well into this campaign we are beginning to see some patterns and trends up and down the field. On our side, we know where the strengths and weaknesses of our package are and the areas we need to focus on. Clearly, Qualifying is an area where we need to improve. That being said, even with cars out of place on the grid, we have recovered well on Sundays and been able to score points, which, ultimately, is what counts at each Grand Prix weekend. We will bring new items to the car at some of the upcoming races as we continue our push to improve performance. We look forward to Austria this weekend, our home race for title partner BWT before we head to Silverstone for Enstone’s home Grand Prix the following week. It’s a busy time and I know everyone at the team is motivated for more good results, not least Pierre and Franco who are doing a great job at the moment to tow the team game. They both want more from the package and it is up to us to keep finding improvements and allow them to flourish.”
