David Sanchez explains why Alpine are in a ‘good position’ for the 2026 F1 season

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Alpine has not had the best start to a season after dissapointing results coupled with questions over its future off track.

Heading into the summer break, former team principal Bruno Famin was replaced by F2 Hietech boss Oliver Oakes and staff at Renault’s power unit facility were told they would be scaling back its F1 engine project.

Staff at their Enstone factory are insisting that Alpine is not for sale, but there are signs that things are changing in the background for the French outfit.

Since the appointment of former boss Flavio Briatore as an advisor to Renault CEO Luca de Meo, there have been suggestions that they are shopping around for engine deals with rival teams.

Alpine has reportedly reached an agreement in principal with Mercedes to supply engines and gearbox from 2026, with the fine details yet to be worked out.

Despite the changes behind the scenes, newly appointed executive technical director David Sanchez is optimistic about thier future plans for 2026 when discussing them with Autosport.

David Sanchez says Alpine ‘well advanced’ with its future plans

Sanchez joined the team from Ferrari via McLaren, having initally been part of the latter’s plans to succeed technical director James Key in 2023.

He subsequently left McLaren by mutual consent in April this year, after Sanchez said the role he envisioned was “not aligned with the reality of the position” and was replaced by Andrea Stella in the interim.

Having found a position within Alpine, Sanchez has been impressed by their plans looking forward to 2026 when F1 will adopt new chassis and engine regulations.

“From an infrastructure point of view, the team was already well advanced with its plans. But we looked together about whether we needed to prioritize a few items more than others,” said Sanchez.

“I think where we are now, the plan we have, if I look at ’26 and beyond, we should be in a good position. Now it’s more to get everything in the right direction with this car, the next one, and build more confidence in the team.”

Alpine needs improvements after dissapointing start to 2024

Alpine went into 2024 with a compleatly redesigned car, but so far that has fallen short of expectations due to a number of issues.

The car was overweight to begin with and the Renault engine has been down on power for several years. Alpine appealed to make changed before the start of the season, but the FIA said they were not allowed to alter the engine software.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Alpine’s F1 executive adviser Flavio Briatore

The team has largely been backmarkers for this years campaign, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon conjuring points finishes at races between Monaco and Austria.

Despite this they are still eighth in the Constructors’ Championship and face a battle with Haas and Visa CashApp RB in the final 10 races to finish sixth overall.