Overview
- After finishing last in 2025 with 22 points, Alpine publicly conceded its car lacked the pace to contend consistently.
- Nielsen said both drivers outperformed the machinery and cited rare competitive weekends in Brazil and Las Vegas as evidence.
- The team’s target for 2026 is regular scoring from two cars, with a call for stability in the second seat and patience for Colapinto to mature into a points contributor.
- Colapinto described his rookie Alpine season as long and frustrating and ended 2025 without scoring, despite occasional race pace near Pierre Gasly.
- Preparation centers on an expanded pre-season program, including private running in Spain on Jan. 26–30 and official testing in Bahrain on Feb. 11–13 to validate the new package.