The Alpine F1 team made a huge step up in 2026 going from the back of the grid to comfortably challenging the upper midfield with the A526. Pierre Gasly speaks about Alpine’s 2026 campaign and shared whether he feels satisfied leading the midfield or sees scope to push further up the grid.
After three rounds of the 2026 season, Gasly has placed the Enstone team firmly in the upper midfield scoring 15 of the team;s 16 points. Alpine chose to sacrifice their 2025 challenger, redirecting their sources for the 2026 campaign. The team switched to the Mercedes power unit, which is now regarded as the best on the grid.
Alpine are reaping the benefits of their new engine and the focus spent on the A526 challenger as they have now scored points in all of the races so far. While there is a clear sign of progress, Gasly is still seeking more.
When asked about satisfaction levels after returning to regular Q3 contention and points finishes, Gasly made it clear that simply leading the midfield is not the target.
Speaking in a print media session before the Japanese GP, he said:
“I think it’s, obviously, I can sense more potential. And, obviously, if you ask me, I mean, I want what’s best. I think what’s difficult in Formula 1 is to be satisfied, obviously, with being in the midfield or being on top of the midfield, because you always see the fight. So, I think it’s, ultimately, I always carry that with me.”
At the same time, he acknowledged the work already done by the team while outlining the balance Alpine must strike across the season. He added, “It doesn’t mean that I’m not appreciating all the work that has been done.
Gasly speaks about the competition in the F1 midfield
Alpine sit fifth on the standings, tied on points with Red Bull and just 2 points behind Haas F1. The Frenchman also spoke about this competition in the midfield. Haas and Racing Bulls have both shown pace at different points, keeping the Alpine A526 under constant threat.
“I think we are in a situation where we have, what I say, we have two options: looking at how close the competition is behind and, making sure that we remain on top of the midfield, which in itself is not easy, because we saw Haas is a fierce competitor.
“VCARB has been strong at times, but I’m more interested in the fight ahead. And if I look, Red Bull were definitely raceable in China. In Australia, there was a bit more of a gap, but then even McLaren, on pure pace in China, wasn’t too far ahead.”
Gasly managed to fend off Max Verstappen’s late charge at the F1 Japanese GP to take P7. Under right conditions, Alpine looks all set to disturb the hierarchy of the front running teams. A switch like this illustrates the scale of the turnaround that the team has made.
Gasly is confident that Alpine F1 can contend for higher positions under right conditions in 2026
Alpine are not relying only on the power unit for their 2026 gains. The chassis appears more balanced, and the qualifying gaps have reduced significantly compared to 2025. The roadmap, in Gasly’s own words, is about momentum and keeping the team pointed in the right direction rather than celebrating where they currently sit.
“And that’s why, for me as a team, I have the right target, which is to try to jump on the forward train and slowly close the gap to these guys, to be able to show up. Yeah, I think generally no one will ever come and say, ‘Oh yeah, this weekend we got the fastest race car, this weekend we got a clear Q3 car.’ You have so many different parameters, but generally, from what I felt, I’m quite confident that I’m going to have a car which allows me to race in the top ten.”
The A526 is a car capable of contending for points comfortably and Gasly believes that there is more potential in it and drivers’ skill matters too in the current set.
“There might be one track, one weekend, certain conditions. Okay, these cars will be probably a bit better. I might be proven wrong, but at the moment, I do have this confidence. There’s still quite a lot of things to learn, but I’m confident.”
F1 will return after a month-long hiatus in May following the cancellation of the two races in the Middle East. Pierre Gasly is confident the team has “more coming” from Alpine as development continues through the 2026 season. His teammate, Franco Colapinto has scored one point for the team, thus putting the team ahead of Red Bull due to countback.
