Alpine has been conducting a filming day at Silverstone ahead of the launch of the A526, with initial mystery surrounding whether or not the team was running its new car.

In what appeared to be a reprisal of an early-2025 livery, footage emerged of Pierre Gasly lapping around a wet Silverstone the day after PlanetF1.com learned the team had also been conducting TPC [Testing of a Previous Car] running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

First sight of the Alpine A526 as team spotted at Silverstone

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Footage on social media circulated of an Alpine, driven using Gasly’s race number, heading through Maggotts and Becketts at a wet Silverstone, and PlanetF1.com has since learned this outing was for filming day purposes.

With a close-up of the car having also done the rounds online, multiple differences were spotted between the A525 as it raced last season, including an aerodynamic ‘fin’ behind the airbox – a part which itself appeared in a different configuration to last season.

Wheel brows that overhung the tyres had also been removed, along with a different shape to the front wing endplate, and cooling vents above the sidepods had been covered up.

Alpine did not comment as to whether or not the car in action at Silverstone was the A526 when approached by PlanetF1.com, and while it is understood that both Gasly and Franco Colapinto had been in Barcelona for TPC running with reserve driver Paul Aron, this new outing saw Gasly back behind the wheel in what appeared to be the team’s new car.

🚨🚨🚨 ALPINE ESTÁ GIRANDO EN SILVERSTONE!!!!!! #AlpineF1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2MKWjwtqFe

— Lucho Yoma (@LucianoYoma) January 21, 2026

Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto to race for Alpine in F1 2026 season

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Since then, however, Flavio Briatore took to Instagram to confirm the team had conducted its first laps of the season at Silverstone in posting a picture of himself alongside both Gasly and Colapinto.

With that, it is understood that Alpine has taken the opportunity to conduct a filming day at the home of the British Grand Prix, giving the team its first mileage with its new car ahead of the first pre-season shakedown test in Barcelona.

While limited to 200km, any chance to run new machinery before pre-season testing offers a welcome opportunity to check that the car works as intended.

The livery of Alpine’s new car will be unveiled on Friday 23 January, with Ferrari also set to pull the covers off the SF-26 on the same day.

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Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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