Colapinto Sends Clear Message After Miami P7: More Points Ahead

Franco Colapinto no longer speaks of dreams, the Argentine who just achieved his best result in Formula 1 with a seventh place at the Miami Grand Prix (inherited from a penalty to Charles Leclerc), has his mind set on the future: "What's next? More points" replied the Alpine driver during the behind the scenes of the filming day that the team held on April 15 at Silverstone.

The French team will arrive at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit in Montreal with new features, the main one being the addition of a new gearbox supplied by Mercedes, for both Colapinto's car and Pierre Gasly's. The new component will be lighter, more compact and will include technical modifications to improve the overall functioning of the A526.

Alpine seeks to consolidate itself as the undisputed leader of the midfield, the Enstone team sits fifth in the constructors' championship with 23 points, the result of a solid start to the season that contrasts with the poor results of 2025, Gasly and Colapinto have scored regularly, and the management trusts that the trend will continue.

Alpine's leap in quality is no coincidence; the team poured much of last season into developing the car for the new regulations, and the decision to close Renault's power unit plant and become a Mercedes customer has also paid off. Now, the goal is clear: to keep growing.

In this context, the team announced a top level strategic addition in Jason Somerville, one of the brains behind the 2026 technical regulations, who has already started working at Enstone. The British engineer, who was head of aerodynamics at the FIA from February 2022, took on the role of deputy technical director, a newly created position.

Somerville had agreed to join Alpine before completing the mandatory six month period of paid leave following his departure from the Federation, during that time, he remained linked to the FIA but working on projects away from F1, respecting confidentiality protocols, and now, that process having ended, he has formally joined the French team.

At Alpine, Somerville reunites with Steve Nielsen, the team's general manager, with whom he had previously worked both at the FIA and in Formula 1 management. His arrival aims to strengthen technical leadership and enhance the work of designers and aerodynamicists.

Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, prepares for the fifth round of the championship. The Argentine already has a clear goal, to continue scoring points in Canada. With an improved car and a new technical brain at the factory, Alpine will seek to take another step forward.