Alpine’s Managing Director Steve Nielsen revealed that the team have brought some upgrades for their A526 for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.Nielsen has pointed out how close the battle in the 2026 Formula 1 midfield is in 2026 and hopes that their upgrades will help them improve in Zandvoort while also revealing plans for more parts.
Previewing the Dutch Grand Prix, Nielsen said: “Our focus is fully on racing this weekend in Zandvoort as we resume the season.
“We have said many times that we are in a close championship fight, and if we are able to bring performance to our car, we can achieve our objective by the end of the season. We have a few upgrades available this weekend, which we will run on the car in Practice ahead of Sprint Qualifying.
“The plan is to bring more as and when we can, and hopefully it will be enough to put us in the on-track fight to score as many points as possible,” Nielsen concluded.
Gasly’s nice memories from Zandvoort
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly is happy to return to Zandvoort, where he bagged his first podium with Alpine, he said: “I have very nice memories of Zandvoort, as it’s where I had my first podium with the team back in 2023.
“That was certainly a memorable day where we had to make the right decisions throughout the entire race, and I just had to keep calm behind the wheel with such variety in the conditions.
“It is nice to be going back into race week after a few weeks off,” the Frenchman went on. “It’s always a really good time of year where we can reflect and spend much-needed time with family and friends.
“Now I am ready to go and begin this next phase of the season,” he declared. “We have a big task ahead of us, as it’s very close in the Championship, and we know if we can deliver upgrades, we can really stay in the fight with our rivals.
“It will be a big challenge, and I am ready for it beginning with the Sprint in Zandvoort,” Gasly concluded.
As for the other Alpine driver, Franco Colapinto, he revealed he had a shorter summer break than his rivals as he did some testing following the Hungarian Grand Prix.Colapinto looking to put disappointing first half of the season behind
“I’m really excited to get back racing after a well-needed summer break,” he said. “I started my holidays a bit later than everyone else as I was finishing the Pirelli tyre test in Hungary, but after that I was able to properly relax and recharge my batteries after the really intense first half of the season. We ended a bit disappointed, which I was able to reflect on because it shows how far we have come as a team from this position last year.
“To now be fighting for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship is really impressive, and we all really want to do a great job and secure the result for the team. There is a long way to go still, so we need to start on the front foot in Zandvoort this weekend. The circuit is one I really enjoy, and I remember it well from junior single-seaters.
“It will be interesting to see what it’s like as a Sprint weekend, and we need to start well on Friday morning so we can find a rhythm and push to the limits early on as we aim for a return to the top-10,” the Argentine concluded.
Alpine are currently sixth in the 2026 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship with 61 points, five less than Racing Bulls in fifth.