Overview

• Mercedes will supply power units to Alpine and Williams from 2026, a move that follows Alpine’s decision to end its Renault engine program and pivot to the new rules cycle.
• Toto Wolff cautioned that Alpine’s increased wind‑tunnel and CFD allocation as a low‑ranked team, combined with Mercedes power, could make it dangerous next year, while stressing the chassis will decide outcomes.
• Rooted to the bottom of the 2025 standings after shelving major development, Alpine is focusing resources on 2026, with only a minor brake‑duct panel tweak slated for Baku, according to technical director David Sánchez.
• Flavio Briatore named Franco Colapinto, Paul Aron and Jack Doohan as contenders for Alpine’s second 2026 seat, criticized recent errors, and targeted a late‑October to November announcement.
• Colapinto returns to Baku seeking points after an eighth place there in 2024, with local reports noting possible grid‑penalty risks from engine‑component use that are being described with conflicting counts.