Overview
- Alpine schedules two Bahrain test blocks for February 11–13 and 18–20 to finalize the A526 before the season opener in Australia in early March.
- Franco Colapinto logged heavy mileage in private Barcelona running, topping sessions with a second place on day one and a fourth later in the week.
- Alpine cites progress with a switch to Mercedes power, target weight hit, and expanded wind‑tunnel work, fueling expectations of a step forward from 2025.
- A Sky Sports preseason model projects Alpine fifth in the Constructors’ standings, a speculative ranking based on limited early‑test metrics.
- Rivals highlight uncertainties as reports question Mercedes’ compression approach—denied by Toto Wolff—while Williams’ James Vowles says his team arrives better prepared due to long Mercedes integration.