Alpine Looks Ahead to 2027 With Crucial Mexico Test

Alpine has made a decision that marks the direction of its season. The French team far from continuing to invest resources in improving the A526, has already set its sights on 2027: Franco Colapinto has confirmed that the Enstone team has set aside the development of the current car to focus on next year's car, a strategy that turns the last races of 2026 into a covert development race among the midfield teams.

"We are focusing the car for development ahead of 2027, this year we are not going to keep improving it but for what is coming we have a couple of days to make a leap in quality and there are people who are thinking and going in a good direction, so I think a development race begins until 2027 it is a moment among the teams to see who progresses the most, who does it faster and finds more performance and it is key to achieve it so we will try to help so that the team takes a step ahead of next year" the Argentine driver declared in a dialogue with ESPN.

Colapinto's confession reveals a reality that many teams on the grid share: when the season reaches its final stretch and the sporting objectives are practically defined, resources are redirected towards the future, Alpine currently occupies sixth position in the constructors' championship, with an advantage over Haas and an already considerable disadvantage with respect to Racing Bulls, the fight to maintain that position remains important but the French team has decided that the real prize is in 2027.

For Colapinto this stage is also an opportunity to continue growing as a driver even if the car does not evolve, the Argentine can focus on adapting to the characteristics of the A526 and on working with his engineers to better understand the car's behavior, one of the novelties of the weekend in Mexico is that he will be able to start the activity without technical penalties, after having had to drop ten positions in Austin for the use of the fourth electronic control unit of the season.

Alpine's decision to prioritize 2027 reflects the maturity of a team that has learned from its past mistakes, instead of continuing to invest in a car that has already given practically everything it could give, the team prefers to lay the foundations of a project that aspires to greater goals, the 2027 season with the new technical regulations and the arrival of Mike Elliott as technical director, will be an opportunity for Alpine to make a leap in quality and get closer to the leading teams.

Meanwhile the last races of 2026 will serve for the teams to measure their forces in development, the battle for sixth place in the constructors' championship remains open but the real competition is fought in the offices and in the factories.

Alpine has chosen its path, and Colapinto, with his talent and his determination, will be a key piece in the team's future. The race towards 2027 has begun, and the Argentine is ready to be part of it.