A report from Autosport reveals that the front end of the A526 is not precise, while Gasly scores 15 points with his experience, the Argentine struggles to adapt, cannot make it to Q3 and Alpine works on an urgent solution.
Franco Colapinto had an acceptable start to the season in Formula 1: he scored his first point at the Chinese Grand Prix and showed good performances in Australia and Japan, however, several factors have harmed the Argentine driver: Safety Car appearances ruined his strategies in several races and the collision with Esteban Ocon in Shanghai also cost him dearly.
There is a deeper problem that escapes bad luck, according to a report from the renowned media outlet Autosport, Alpine is one of the great surprises of the start of the 2026 season. The A526, equipped with the Mercedes engine, is a clear evolution compared to its predecessor, however, the French team has a weak point that is conditioning Colapinto's performance: the front end.
"Franco Colapinto has also scored a point, although the Argentine has found it a little harder to adapt to his new car; this year's Alpine's front end is a weak point and perhaps it's not as precise as Colapinto would like," wrote journalist Jake Boxall Legge, this lack of precision especially affects qualifying, where the driver from Pilar has not managed to get through to Q3 in any of the three rounds held, always being eliminated in Q2.
The situation contrasts with that of his teammate, Pierre Gasly: the Frenchman, with his experience accumulated in other previous cars, has known how to get more out of the A526. Gasly qualified seventh in the last two rounds and already has 15 points so far this year, two thirds of what he achieved during the entire last season, the Frenchman's veteran status allows him to adapt better to the front end's limitations.
Alpine is aware of the problem, the team confirmed that it is working to improve the A526, hoping that the updates that will arrive in the coming races will solve this deficiency. For Colapinto, the arrival of those upgrades will be key. The Argentine needs a more precise car to be able to extract all his talent and get closer to the performance of his experienced teammate.
In the meantime, the French team maintains an intense fight with Haas and Red Bull for fourth place in the constructors' championship: Haas surprisingly has 18 points and is fourth, while Alpine and Red Bull are tied with 16, further up, Mercedes leads comfortably (135 points), followed by Ferrari (90) and McLaren (46).
The Autosport report also praised Ayao Komatsu's work at Haas. "The team continues to get the most out of its limited resources, while other bigger teams opt for a more wasteful approach," Boxall Legge highlighted. Alpine, on the other hand, has a larger budget but still cannot translate it into a balanced car. The front end is proof of that.