Alpine’s Executive Technical Director David Sanchez has said he is “happy” with the progress being made on its 2026 Formula 1 challenger amid a tough season so far.
The Enstone-based squad has struggled to find results on a consistent basis across the current campaign, with only 12 points scored in the first 12 races, all of them scored by Pierre Gasly.
The A525 has been, by all accounts, a tricky car for not just Gasly, but for Jack Doohan and his current replacement, Franco Colapinto, dropping it to midfield challengers last year to bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.
Sanchez explained the measures being taken to mitigate the foibles of the car, saying: “I tell people ‘downforce is like paracetamol – it fixes every problem’.
“I think the downforce that we have somehow, in high-speed corners, I think we’re not too shy.
“We know we’re on the back foot with energy recovery. Some races like Silverstone we are exposed and this is sometimes biasing our choices of downforce levels.
“In Austria we made some choices to try and be a bit racier, but this of course puts a bit more stress on our rear tyres and the consequences are quite heavy.”
Why 2026 promises ‘big opportunities’ for Alpine
It appears, however, that the pivot from the current car to next year’s, with the new regulations to consider, is paying off, with Sanchez indicating he is pleased with current progress.
“We know what we’ve designed and developed – which we’re happy with,” he revealed.
“But what we’re seeing is there is so much convergence between all the cars this year compared to last year that some of our weaknesses are magnified by an order of magnitude.
“So that’s what we’re trying to deal with at the moment.”
Sanchez added that there are “big opportunities” for Alpine next year, when it transitions from a works team to Mercedes customer, as part of a cost-cutting measure implemented by Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore.
“We may not have been pushing so deep in the season with developments like some others,” Sanchez added, “but when we see how next year’s car is evolving – and the rate is quite high – we are quite happy with our choice.”
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