Alpine F1 will bring new performance upgrades to its A526 at upcoming races as the team heads to Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix, the home event for title partner BWT, riding a run of consecutive points finishes.
The team confirmed the development push in its official race preview, with a senior team figure stating that the squad knows where the strengths and weaknesses of its package lie. “We will bring new items to the car at some of the upcoming races as we continue our push to improve performance,” the team representative said, while acknowledging that qualifying pace remains a clear area for improvement.
Alpine arrives in Austria buoyed by a double points finish at the previous round in Barcelona, extending a consistent scoring streak through the European leg of the calendar. “To say the last few weeks were an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatement,” one of the team’s drivers said. “I am very proud of the team’s efforts both on and off-track recently and it’s been great to continue our points-scoring run of form. Barcelona brought its challenges, especially in Qualifying which is an area we must keep working on. The race was much better, the pace was good, but we are still too far off the top four teams.”
The Red Bull Ring presents a unique challenge as the shortest lap of the season, with qualifying times clocking in at just over one minute. The circuit climbs 60 metres with a 12% gradient up to Turn 3 before descending through a series of high-speed corners and heavy braking zones. The compressed lap times mean margins between competitors shrink, placing a premium on single-lap performance — precisely the area Alpine has identified as a weakness.
The second Alpine driver expressed confidence heading into the weekend, noting previous success at the venue including a Formula 2 Feature Race podium in 2024 and a Formula 3 podium during his rookie season in 2022. “It’s the shortest lap time of the season which makes it feel relentless and because of this, one-lap pace has to be strong because the gaps will probably be smaller than on most circuits,” the driver said. He added that he would visit BWT’s headquarters in Mondsee before the race weekend to tour the water filtration technology facilities.
The Austrian Grand Prix holds special significance for Alpine as the home race for BWT, the global market leader in water technology with more than 6,500 employees operating across 122 countries. The company’s signature pink livery adorns the A526 as part of a partnership that promotes awareness of access to clean drinking water.
Alpine’s junior program also carries strong momentum into Spielberg. In the FIA Formula 2 championship, Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Mini continues to lead the standings after two podium finishes in Barcelona. Fellow academy drivers Alex Dunne secured a top-three result while Kush Maini won the Sprint Race, giving all three drivers form to carry into Austria.
The team views the Austrian and British Grands Prix as a critical double-header, with Spielberg serving as BWT’s home race and the following round at Silverstone representing the home event for Alpine’s Enstone factory. Drivers Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto have been credited with strong recent performances, and the team acknowledged the onus is now on the engineering side to deliver further gains. “They both want more from the package and it is up to us to keep finding improvements and allow them to flourish,” the team representative said.