Alpine reveal F1 2026 goal after torrid slump

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen has outlined his goal for the team this season as it looks to recover from a challenging campaign last year.

The Enstone-based squad ended the year at the bottom of the standings for the first time in its history, scoring 22 points across the season.

Given the major regulations overhaul this year, Alpine opted early last season to switch focus to its 2026 car, leaving it to languish down the order while other teams pulled away.

Naturally hoping its decision to sacrifice the 2025 campaign pays dividends, Nielsen wants to commence the upcoming new season in a position of regularly scoring points.

“I want to be racing every week and hopefully for points,” Nielsen told select media, including RacingNews365. "We didn't managed that [in 2025].

“We did the odd weekend when we were racing for points and achieved points, but all too often, we've been distant at the back.

“That’s not where this team belongs. It's not where Enstone traditionally is. It's not what Alpine want, and it's not where any of us want it to be.

“So we need to race at the top end of the midfield for points every weekend, and I think we've done all the right things, but every team that builds a new car will tell you it's good.

“What actually decides it is what happens on the circuit.”

Decision to quit on 2025 resulted in 'more difficult' year than expected

All of Alpine's point-scoring results last year came via Pierre Gasly as Franco Colapinto, who replaced Jack Doohan early in the campaign, was unable to add to the tally.

It scored in just one grand prix in the final 11 rounds, leaving it far away from its closest rival in the final standings.

The drivers supported the decision to stop car development early in the hope that it would result in a boost in form for the start of the sport's new era this year.

Although content with its decision, Nielsen conceded that it resulted in a much more challenging season than expected.

“The decision we took to swap over early, whilst we knew would be difficult, was actually more difficult than we thought it would be,” he said.

“We plotted other people's developments as best we could, and we saw what new parts they brought.

“We have a tracker, and we were kind of at the bottom because we swapped over early, and others kept bringing upgrades.

“We were under no illusions why we were where we were. It's painful, but hopefully it was for the greater good, and we'll see if we did the right thing.”