Alpine arrives at the Dutch Grand Prix of Formula 1 next weekend, determined to regain fifth place in the constructors’ championship. Currently, the team is five points behind Racing Bulls and is betting on new updates to react in Zandvoort.
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With 61 points, Alpine currently occupies sixth position, a considerable improvement after finishing 2025 in last place. The team’s managing director, Steve Nielsen, confirmed that some new features will be evaluated in the only free practice before the Sprint qualifying, while the team intends to continue bringing updates to the car whenever possible.
“We have some upgrades available this weekend, which we will put on the car in the practice before the Sprint qualifying. The plan is to bring more updates when we can, and we hope this will be enough to put us in the fight on track and score as many points as possible,” said Nielsen.
Franco Colapinto emphasized that fifth place is Alpine’s goal for the season and highlighted the progress made by the team: “There is still a long way to go, so we need to start off on the right foot in Zandvoort this weekend,” said the Argentine, who also stressed the need to quickly find a strong pace in a weekend with a Sprint format.
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Despite the team’s optimism, Pierre Gasly acknowledged that the team has recently lost ground to Racing Bulls and Audi: “In qualifying, 12th, 13th, behind Racing Bulls and Audi. In the race, it’s like you think maybe we’ll be there, but it’s pure pace, we’re not there,” explained the Frenchman.
Gasly also pointed out problems with the car’s aerodynamic behavior and considered the upgrades in Zandvoort fundamental for the fight: “I think the aerodynamics are very inconsistent, and I think it’s something we know and hope will be fixed in Zandvoort. It’s crucial for us if we want to keep hope for fifth place in the championship,” he added.
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