Overview
- Franco Colapinto ran the homologated A526 upgrade and showed competitive pace on Friday, finishing ninth in FP1 and 11th in FP2.
- The FIA activated a heat-risk protocol for the weekend that lets drivers choose a cooling vest or add 0.5 kg of ballast to manage extreme track temperatures.
- Colapinto warned that Alpine’s cars suffer higher overheating and that 2026 limits on battery recovery reduce the value of aggressive electric boost or ‘superclip’ on Monza’s long straights.
- The upgrade packages include a redesigned floor, new diffuser profile and bodywork tweaks aimed at local downforce gains, and Formula 1 estimated the kit could be worth more than 0.5 seconds with Pierre Gasly already scoring points with it at Zandvoort.
- Alpine trails Racing Bulls in the Constructors’ battle, so the team must convert Friday’s signs of pace into regular points from both cars, with tyre temperatures and energy management the key factors to watch in FP3, qualifying and the race.