2026 F1 Season Begins with Surprises and Challenges

The 2026 Formula 1 season has kicked off with plenty of excitement. Mercedes is celebrating a strong start, while Aston Martin seems to be struggling. Meanwhile, all eleven teams are dealing with various technical problems due to significant regulatory changes.

Among these developments, Alpine is turning heads. The team is eager to build on their promising start at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix.

After facing difficulties in the 2025 season and shifting focus to the 2026 vehicle, Alpine managed to score points during the season-opening races in Australia and China. Both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto registered finishes in the top ten, with Gasly achieving his second consecutive points finish and Colapinto marking his first points since the 2024 American Grand Prix.

For Colapinto, it was a meaningful achievement, as this was his first point for Alpine after joining the team before the 2025 season.

Now, the team is looking forward to “another good weekend” in Japan.

“It feels great to finish the race with solid points,” Gasly shared during a media preview. “I felt like I had some unfinished business leaving China; I definitely wanted more. Things could have gone better, given the circumstances. Still, we learned a lot, and that’s encouraging. Ending on a slight disappointment after a successful weekend might sound odd, but it could be a good sign. I hope we can keep this momentum going in Japan, which is one of my favorite places on the calendar.”

He continued, “Japan is special for me; I raced part of my career here back in 2017. I’ll definitely be visiting Tokyo during Grand Prix Week—it’s one of my top cities. The culture is fantastic, and the food is just amazing. Suzuka will be an interesting test for the car this year. While it brings unique challenges, I don’t want to get my hopes too high. Yet, I’m ready to push myself to earn more points.”

In the other garage, Colapinto expressed that he felt “satisfied” with his first points for the team in Shanghai.

“Looking back, I am pleased to leave Shanghai with our first team points, especially after an exhilarating battle on the track,” Colapinto remarked. “It’s a bit of a letdown not achieving more when we had the potential, but various things didn’t play in our favor during the race. The contrast between Melbourne and Shanghai was pretty stark, and I was truly impressed with the team’s improvements at the start of the season. I visited Enstone last week and spent some time working with the team and the simulator. Celebrating this result with them felt great, especially considering all the hard work everyone has put in over the past few months.”

“Now, we’ve shown what we can do, and we aim to build on it going into Suzuka. I’m especially excited to race in Japan for the first time in my career; it’s such a fantastic country, and I can’t wait to tackle this renowned track. If the first race goes well, I’ll definitely focus on refining the car, but I’m looking forward to it and getting more good results before the short break next month.”

Alpine’s start to the season has stirred mixed feelings within the team after each race. This might hint at renewed expectations at Enstone. After the Australian Grand Prix, Flavio Briatore conveyed that the team was “not at all happy” about Gasly’s P10 finish. In previewing the Japanese Grand Prix, managing director Steve Nielsen described the recent race in China as “bittersweet.”

“We left China feeling unique and bittersweet, something the team hasn’t felt in a while. On paper, it was a positive outcome, securing nine points across the weekend and both cars scoring points together for the first time since 2024,” Nielsen said. “Yet, we felt some disappointment too because we knew there was more potential. We left Shanghai realizing we could have done better, especially considering the luck some other teams had. That drive to improve is what defines us at Enstone, and it was encouraging to see many smiling faces at the factory last week, all with a steely determination to achieve even higher results.”

Will Alpine rise to the occasion this weekend?