Alpine reveal 2026 F1 car on the sea

January 23, 2026 Aksel Kryhlmand

A launch that breaks with convention

Alpine revealed the livery of its 2026 Formula 1 car during an event held aboard a cruise ship in Barcelona, staged in partnership with sponsor MSC Cruises. According to reporting by Jack Cozens of The Race, the car shown was a show model designed to reflect the forthcoming technical regulations, not the final A526 that will compete on track.

Visually, the design stays close to Alpine’s established look. The car retains a glossy blue base with pink detailing, while the sidepods return to blue after appearing predominantly pink at the end of the 2025 season. The BWT branding remains prominent in pink across the upper bodywork.

The timing of the event placed it only days before Formula 1’s first private test for 2026 specification cars at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya.

Early mileage offers first clues

While the Barcelona display focused on presentation rather than performance, Alpine’s actual 2026 car has already completed its first on track running. According to The Race, limited photographs surfaced earlier in the week from a shakedown at Silverstone.

Pierre Gasly completed approximately 140 kilometres of running, out of the 200 kilometre limit permitted under testing rules. The session took place in challenging conditions, with rain and fading light eventually bringing the day to an early end.

Those initial images suggested notable differences in engine packaging and sidepod layout compared with Mercedes’ own works car, highlighting the compromises and adaptations involved in Alpine’s new customer engine arrangement.

Returning to familiar ground with mercedes power

The switch to Mercedes engines represents a significant change for Alpine, which has stepped away from its previous status as a works manufacturer. According to The Race, this marks a return to a configuration the Enstone based team has used before, having raced with Mercedes power during its 2015 season under the Lotus name.

The move comes after a difficult 2025 campaign. Alpine finished tenth in the constructors championship, although its 22 point total made it statistically the highest scoring last placed team in Formula 1 history.

A long term bet on the next rule cycle

Rather than continuing to chase short term gains, Alpine made an early decision to stop development on its 2025 car and redirect resources toward the 2026 project. That choice was driven by the scale of the upcoming regulation overhaul, which combines new power unit rules with major chassis changes.

Technical director David Sanchez explained the thinking behind that approach in comments to The Race last year, saying, “Our strategy was in ’25 essentially we want to invest as much as possible, as early as possible, on the 2026 car because for us to try and make that step forward in trying to eradicate many fundamental limitations which take time to develop, we had to start early.”

For Alpine, the cruise ship launch was not just about colours. It was a public marker of a broader reset, one that the team hopes will allow it to re establish itself when Formula 1 enters its next technical era.

Sources: The Race