Alpine finds momentum as the midfield battle intensifies

Alpine has emerged as the team to beat in the midfield after five rounds of the 2026 championship. The French squad currently holds a 14-point advantage over Racing Bulls, marking a massive turnaround from their struggles last season. While Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto delivered a double points finish in Canada, the team is far from satisfied with their current form.

Franco Colapinto put in a stunning drive to secure a career-best P6 finish in Montreal. This result was particularly wild considering his weekend began with a total loss of the first practice session due to a PU issue, followed by him clipping a wall and damaging his front wing during the race. Despite the damage, he showed real grit to manage the car and pull away from the challengers behind him.

Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, is openly grappling with the car. After being outperformed by his teammate in both Miami and Canada, Gasly admitted he has struggled with the machine's balance. He managed to recover from a P14 grid slot to score points, but he remains adamant that the team needs to fix specific limitations before the upcoming race in Monaco. As Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore noted, there is still much more performance to find, even if the team is currently in a strong position compared to last year.