A dramatic start to the 2026 Formula 1 season has seen Mercedes roar out of the gates, Aston Martin stumble from the same, and all 11 teams deal with technical issues as the sport ushers in a sweeping set of regulation changes.
But Alpine might be the biggest surprise of all, and the team hopes to continue their strong start at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
After punting on the 2025 season and quickly shifting their focus to developing their 2026 challenger, Alpine secured points at both the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, and the Chinese Grand Prix, where they saw both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto finish inside the top ten. For Gasly, it was his second consecutive finish in the points, while Colapinto returned to the points for the first time since the 2024 United States Grand Prix.
And his first points for the team since joining Alpine ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Now the team is hoping for “another good weekend” in Japan.
“It is a nice feeling to come away from a race with solid points in the bag. We were in the mix all weekend in China and, of course, I left there wanting even more as I felt we left a little bit on the table and it could have turned out even better had circumstances come our way,” said Gasly in the team’s media preview. “That being said, we all learnt a lot which will help us for future races. It is probably a good sign that we leave a successful weekend with some disappointment and hopefully we can continue our form into Japan, one of my favorite places on the calendar.
“It is a special place for me having raced part of my career there back in 2017. I will be visiting Tokyo, as I always do when it’s Grand Prix week, as it’s one of my favorite cities in the world. I just love the whole culture there and of course the food is incredible. Suzuka will be an interesting challenge in this year’s cars. I don’t think we should be setting ourselves any expectations as Suzuka brings many unique challenges with its high-speed, flowing nature. I am ready for the challenge and I hope we can be on the pace straight away there to have another good weekend with more points added to our tally ahead of a mini-April break.”
On the other side of the garage, Colapinto was “pleased” to have scored his first points with the team in Shanghai.
“On reflection, I was pleased to leave Shanghai with my first point on the board for the team, especially after some very exciting on-track battles throughout the race,” said Colapinto. “It was a pity, however, that we weren’t able to achieve even more as the potential was there but various things in the race did not go our way. I’m really impressed with the improvements the team has made early in the season with the difference between Melbourne and Shanghai very clear to see. I was in Enstone last week and spent some time with the team and on the simulator. It was great to enjoy this result with them especially after so much hard work from everyone over these last few months.
“We have showed what we can do now and are aiming to build on this as we head to Suzuka this weekend, which will be another new challenge. I’m really excited to race in Japan for the first time in my career, it’s such an amazing country and I can’t wait to experience the weekend at this famous track. If the first races of the year are anything to go by, we will have to work very hard to fine tune the car but I’m looking forward to it and am ready to build on our good result last time out ahead of the short break coming up next month.”
If anything, Alpine’s start to the season has led to some mixed feelings after each race weekend for the team, perhaps a sign of the new expectations at Enstone. Following the Australian Grand Prix, Flavio Briatore said the team was “not happy at all” with Gasly’s P10, and in the team’s preview of the Japanese Grand Prix managing director Steve Nielsen called the Chinese Grand Prix “bittersweet.”
“We left China with quite a unique, bittersweet feeling, something this team has probably not experienced in quite a long time. On paper, it was of course a very positive result with nine points scored across the weekend and both cars in the points for the first time since 2024,” said Nielsen. “And, rightfully so, we should be pleased with that effort to be on the board across the first two events of the season.
“But there was a little bit of disappointment too as we did not fully maximise the weekend and we left Shanghai knowing more was possible, especially taking into consideration some of the misfortune other teams had in the race. That racing spirit is what makes and defines Enstone and I was glad to see some very happy faces at the factory last week but with a steely determination that we want to achieve even more and even better results.”
Can Alpine deliver those results this weekend?
