Alpine’s A526 spotted on Silverstone amid launch uncertainty
Alpine filmed a lap that appears to be the new A526 around wet Silverstone, but the team won’t confirm the chassis. Meanwhile a TPC test at Barcelona runs in parallel, with the car’s aero tweaks, livery reveal on Jan 23 and a pre‑season shakedown set to confirm its identity.
Alpine filmed a lap of what appears to be the new A526 around the wet Silverstone circuit on Jan 21. The team confirmed a filming day but refused to confirm if the car is the new chassis, stoking speculation ahead of the Jan 23 livery reveal. At the same time, the squad ran a TPC test at Barcelona, leaving fans unsure which car was where.
Why it matters:
A first on‑track glimpse of the A526 hints at Alpine’s aerodynamic direction for 2026 and gives early mileage to address reliability before the 200‑km Barcelona shakedown. Its performance will be crucial as Alpine fights to close the midfield gap in a Red Bull‑Mercedes‑led season.
The details:
- Aerodynamic changes: fin behind airbox, reshaped front‑wing endplates and removed wheel brows set the A526 apart from the 2025 A525.
- Livery: the car ran in a throw‑back early‑2025 scheme, likely a placeholder before the official Jan 23 launch.
- Driver activity: Gasly was at Silverstone, while Colapinto and reserve Aron were set for the Barcelona TPC run.
- Testing limits: Barcelona’s TPC caps at 200 km, so any extra mileage – even a filmed lap – provides valuable data.
What's next:
Alpine will unveil the A526’s livery on Jan 23 alongside Ferrari’s SF‑26. A shakedown in Barcelona in early February will confirm if the Silverstone lap was the new chassis.