The specialized portal The Race presented its ranking for the 2026 Formula 1 season, anticipating an unfavorable outlook for Franco Colapinto and the Alpine team.The analysis, published shortly before the start of the competition, projects that the French team will continue to face serious difficulties, despite the incorporation of important technical changes in the cars and the expansion of the grid to 11 teams thanks to the entry of Cadillac, which will bring the number of drivers on the track to 22.
According to journalist Matt Beer of the aforementioned media, the future of the Argentine driver within the category is in question.The reporter stated forcefully: “This has to be the last opportunity in F1 for Colapinto, who did not show enough often enough.”According to this analysis, the continuity of the Pilarense would be conditioned by a performance that, until now, has not fully satisfied the expectations of his most severe critics.
The report highlights that during 2025, Pierre Gasly, Colapinto’s teammate, contributed the only 22 points that Alpine recorded in the championship, a performance described as “a heroic job” by TheRace specialists.
Despite these difficulties, there are no clear signs of improvement for the team for next season.The British media warned that “just like 12 months ago, there are doubts about his teammate, since Gasly carries most of the work,” questioning Colapinto’s ability to assume a more relevant role in obtaining results.
The media itself recalled the irregular beginnings of the Argentine driver, who replaced Jack Doohan from the seventh date of the 2025 season. Colapinto was involved in an accident in Q1 of Imola and added several unconvincing performances, which, according to the portal, would have led Alpine to consider his continuity for the 2026 campaign.
The ranking of the constructors’ championship, according to The Race
The arrival of the new technical regulations to Formula 1 in 2026 has driven a profound transformation in the Alpine team, which chose to prioritize the development of its car from early on, as explained by Franco Colapinto in an interview with Fox Sports.The Argentine driver stressed that these modifications require a total adaptation for both the teams and the drivers, who will see the handling characteristics and energy management of their cars substantially altered.
Flavio Briatore, executive advisor and leader of the French team, explained the magnitude of the bet: “Basically, we had a 2026 car in the wind tunnel on January 2 (2025), and we didn’t take it out anymore, so we have at least three or four months ahead of everyone else. And now we have the power. We have quality people again at Enstone,” as quoted by the specialized Motorsport portal.This change in strategy was so radical that Alpine prematurely ceased any progress in the development of the 2025 vehicle to pour resources into the A526 project.
Colapinto, who will begin his first full season in Formula 1 with Alpine, highlighted the uninterrupted work required to face this challenge: “They are working on the car 24 hours a day and there are many things behind the scenes that are not seen. All the guys are in the garage for 12 hours. Then there is another team 12 hours at night.”
The driver pointed out that the preseason will be essential to begin to understand and adjust the new parameters, given that many characteristics are still known only theoretically: “It is a start, I don’t know if from scratch, but it is a start from much lower. You have an idea of what can happen, of how you have to manage the cars a little, but it is a very big idea, in the end, and without going into much detail for now.”
The regulations that will come into force will introduce smaller and lighter cars: the chassis will be 100 millimeters narrower and the wheelbase will be reduced by 200 millimeters, with a minimum weight established at 768 kg.Another distinctive element will be the incorporation of active aerodynamics.Pilots will be able to modify the configuration of their front and rear wings in real time according to the conditions of the circuit, alternating specific modes for curves and straights, which represents an evolution with respect to the traditional DRS system.
All track activity will begin very soon: the A526 officially debuted at Silverstone on January 21 during a private session, before the pre-season tests scheduled in Barcelona from January 26 to 30, enabled by Formula 1 for teams to carry out tests on three of the five available days.Subsequently, the teams will move to Bahrain, where they will have two test sessions from February 11 to 13 and from February 18 to 20, before the official start of the season on March 8 at the Australian Grand Prix.
