Pierre Gasly put the new Alpine A526 through its paces in a brief shakedown at Silverstone ahead of the official launch of the car ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Enstone team took to a cold and wet Silverstone on Wednesday with Gasly, team-mate Franco Colapinto and Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore all present.
It is believed that Gasly was the sole driver of the car for the day, which, for the first time, is powered by a Mercedes power unit.
Alpine has foregone its manufacturer status this year and takes on the German marque’s powertrain, which will be a significant cost-saving measure.
There had been speculation that the team had in fact been partaking in a Testing of Previous Cars [TPC] test with the 2025 challenger at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
But the team has clarified to Motorsport Week that both programmes were running simultaneously, and the Silverstone shakedown was under the allocated ‘filming day’ rule that all teams are allowed.
Gasly’s hopes for Alpine in 2026
After a disappointing 2025 season for the Enstone team, they come into the new regulations with higher hopes. Gasly hoped that 2026 would bring him the opportunity to show his skills.
“If we’ve got a good car, I do believe [2026] could be the first time I get a car to really show my talent and my skills,” he told Motorsport Week and other media upon the conclusion of 2025.
“That’s all I care [about]. If I need to do more work or more preparation, I’m the kind of guy to do it.
“I don’t leave anything on the table, and I’m planning this winter to work even more with the team to make sure I’m on top of any advantage I could gain.”
However, many questions remain about how the new regulations will affect the quality of racing in 2026. For Gasly he just hoped that they would be in a position to win.
“Whether [the new rules for 2026 are] going to be good or better or not for racing. I don’t know.
“But I’m at the stage of my career where I just want to win. I’ll do anything I can to make it happen.”
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