F1 | Gasly praises "the best Alpine ever"

After the first three races of the 2026 Formula 1 season, at home Alpine There is a climate of trust but also of external tensions. On the one hand, Pierre Gasly He expressed great satisfaction with the car's performance, calling it unequivocally the best he'd ever had in his career. On the other hand, the French team was forced to publicly address the increasingly insistent accusations of alleged unfair treatment of his teammate. Franco ColapintoSome of the Argentine's fans, in fact, have gone so far as to suggest that he is not receiving a car of the same standard, thus prompting the French team to publish a very strong statement.

The team is committed to fielding the two fastest cars possible and ensuring equal opportunities for both drivers to be competitive and score important championship points. In some cases, to accelerate development and manage production, only certain components or upgrades may be available for certain events. However, this is never the desired approach: if an upgrade improves performance, we want it to be available immediately on both cars. This was also the case this year: both Pierre and Franco used the same equipment, except for minor differences in China related to the replacement of gearbox components. Franco is our driver, and the team has confidence in him, just as he has confidence in the team. This demonstrates our commitment to him and his equal role with Pierre. Any suggestion of sabotage or unequal treatment between the two cars is completely unfounded.

Gasly: ​​“Best Alpine ever”

Gasly, currently eighth in the championship standings with a total of fifteen points, remains optimistic about the car's progress. The Frenchman emphasized that one of the Alpine's main strengths is its versatility, capable of adapting to different types of circuits. This represents a solid foundation on which to build further improvements throughout the year.

"I'm happy that our car works well on all types of circuits. It's a great confidence boost. At Suzuka, I was about three or four tenths a lap behind Hamilton. Ferrari is the next target, and we have to do everything we can to get there. Right now, the gap is still too big to really fight for a podium, but after the summer break, I'd like to see us in the same group as McLaren and Ferrari.

In this context, managing the relationship between Gasly and Colapinto will be crucial. Alpine has strongly reaffirmed its confidence in the young Argentine, calling him an integral part of the project and ensuring he enjoys equal status within the team. This is an important message, aimed at quelling controversy and protecting the driver in whom the team has clearly decided to invest, despite the numerous criticisms leveled by Flavio Briatore himself last season suggesting otherwise.

The season is still long, and everything can change quickly. But while Alpine appears to have found a solid technical foundation on which to build, it will also need to continue to carefully manage its media presence and its relationship with fans. Because, as recent controversies demonstrate, in Formula 1, it's not just the track that determines the atmosphere around a team.

For Colapinto, who unlike his teammate has yet to achieve satisfactory results and sits fifteenth in the championship standings with just one point, the challenge is twofold: on the one hand, improving his performance on the track, on the other, managing the media pressure. The incident with Oliver Bearman during the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka has brought further scrutiny to his name, making his situation even more delicate. Precisely to avoid allegations of sabotage and conspiracy, Alpine has also intervened on this issue, clearing the Argentine driver of responsibility for the accident and instead pointing the finger at the new regulations.

"High relative speeds are a characteristic of these cars and, as stated by the FIA, the matter will be carefully analysed in the coming weeks. The FIA ​​also examined the incident between Franco and Ollie during the race and determined that no further action was necessary," Alpine's press release reads.