In the light of the recent sabotage claims that have gained traction on online platforms, the Alpine F1 team has come forward and clarified that both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto have access to the same machinery and upgrades as they continue to fight for fourth place in the 2026 constructors’ championship.
Since the beginning of the 2026 F1 season, Gasly has outperformed Colapinto by a considerable margin in both qualifying and the races. Powered by the potent Mercedes engine, the Frenchman scored 15 points in the first three rounds of the campaign and now sits in front of Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings. Meanwhile, the Argentine driver has secured his only top ten finish so far in Shanghai.
The gap in performance was particularly noticeable in China, where Colapinto finished 49 seconds behind his teammate. Although his P10 finish after a solid start was partly down to Esteban Ocon crashing into him, it later emerged that the 22-year-old had encountered a gearbox problem ahead of the weekend and reverted to an older part from pre-season testing.
As a consequence, an unfounded suspicion that Alpine are not providing identical cars to their drivers gained momentum on social media, leading to concerned Colapinto fans hurling abuses at Gasly and the team.
Why it’s important for Alpine to have two competitive cars on the track
In an open 11-page letter published on Thursday, the Alpine F1 team addressed the accusations of sabotage towards Franco Colapinto on social media and completely rubbished the notion that they have prioritised Pierre Gasly over the Buenos Aires native so far this season.
Emphasising how important the constructors’ championship is to them, Alpine maintained that they always strive to provide equal resources to both drivers to bring home the best possible results at the end of the day.
“As the team and the sport enters a short break and reflects on the first three races of the new season, the team would also like to clarify the concern of some fans regarding parity between both our cars.
“The team endeavours to put the two fastest cars on track and provide equal opportunity for both drivers to be competitive and score important points for the team in the championship.”
Alpine dismiss claims of sabotage towards Colapinto in the early rounds of the 2026 F1 season
Shedding light on how teams are sometimes forced to bring partial updates due to lack of adequate time or resources, the French outfit proclaimed that they make an effort to ensure both cars are fitted with the same performance upgrades immediately.
Moreover, Alpine’s statement confirmed that both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto competed with the same equipment in the first three race weekends of 2026, apart from some gearbox components in the Argentine’s A526, which had no major impact on performance.
“In some instances, given the need to fast-track parts and carefully manage the manufacturing process, the team is only able to bring select parts or upgrades to some events.
“However, that is never the intended or desired approach, as, if the part is a performance upgrade as we hope and intend, then we want it available on both cars immediately.
“This has remained the case this year and both Pierre [Gasly] and Franco [Colapinto] have been running with the same equipment, barring some small low-performance impacting parts in China due to switching gearbox components.”
Why the allegations of sabotage Colapinto’s fanbase made against Alpine F1 are baseless
Reaffirming their strong commitment to Franco Colapinto, the Alpine F1 outfit reiterated that the suspicions of sabotage are baseless. Furthermore, they pledged to maintain the utmost transparency if they bring forth an upgrade package and are able to fit only one car with the new components during a weekend, given the tight development race in the midfield.
Nonetheless, Alpine asserted how they consistently aim to introduce updates for both cars at the same time and added that they have no intention of shooting themselves in the foot following a strong start to the 2026 F1 season.
“Franco is our driver and the team has placed its trust in him, just as he has with the team. That is an indication of the commitment we have to Franco and his place in the team with equal footing alongside Pierre.
“Any questions about sabotage or not giving Franco the same car are completely unfounded, which is why the team felt the need to speak out.
“There might be times this year when pushing in the development race that upgrades come to one car first, which the team will communicate and be completely transparent about.
“That being said, the aim will always remain to bring upgrades to both cars where possible.
“It’s absolutely not in the team’s interests to not score points and any suggestion of self sabotage isn’t conducive to that ultimate end goal.
“From the opening races, the team finds itself in a strong position and the team is not counting on its laurels and is staying grounded. At the last two races, the team has been the fourth fastest car and we know we have to work incredibly hard to stay there and have two cars regularly in with a chance of scoring points.”
Sharing information between teammates is crucial under the 2026 F1 regulations
Highlighting that the entire Alpine F1 squad are concentrating their efforts on improving the A526 during the month-long break in April, their detailed statement also revealed how Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly share data and feedback with each other and the engineers for the overall success of the team under the brand-new regulations.
“The team back at Enstone are working incredibly hard and are fuelled by you, the fans, to keep pushing in the hope of more good results. Both Pierre and Franco are also working very hard and will be at Enstone during the break with the engineers and on the simulator, finding every last bit of performance.
“One of the things that goes unnoticed and isn’t seen often enough is how hard the drivers work together and share information. Pierre and Franco regularly come to each other’s desks in the engineering office to share data and feedback.
“As a team, we’re fortunate to have someone of Pierre’s experience and, as can be seen from his performances in the first few races, he’s a class act and can perform at an incredibly high level on a consistent basis.
“The engineering group is very much united and all pulling in the same direction. That includes both Pierre and Franco.
“There’s no withholding of information or keeping performance tricks hidden away. That is very much a thing of the past and not part of modern Formula One, where you need every bit of input and data to be successful as a team. This is especially the case with these new cars, Power Units, and strategic way of going racing on track.”
Alpine’s and Colapinto’s plans for the break after Round 3 of the 2026 F1 season
Explaining how eager they are to take to the track again, Alpine restated in the letter that they are looking forward to analysing the information from the first three rounds of the 2026 F1 season and heading to Miami with a stronger package than their immediate rivals.
Additionally, Alpine acknowledged their fans’ unwavering support and disclosed that Franco Colapinto will make a trip to his home country in April and reciprocate the love his loyal and passionate fanbase has for him.
“As race fans ourselves, we are already eager to go racing again and look forward to returning in Miami in a few weeks’ time.
“We will use the gap in the season to debrief the first three races, find ways to improve but also continue to push to come back even stronger.
“Franco, meanwhile, is excited to head back to Argentina and embrace the passion of the fans there and give back a little something for such loyal support.
“On track, our rivals won’t be resting and standing still, so neither will we. We really appreciate your continued support, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
