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One Formula 1 team who have created a surprising amount of positivity after the shakedown test in Barcelona are Alpine.
After finishing at the bottom of the constructors’ championship last season, Alpine enter 2026 with a renewed sense of optimism.
Alpine have put the debate over their driver line-up behind them by committing to Franco Colapinto for another season and dropping Jack Doohan from their roster completely.
The Argentinian will be expected to support Pierre Gasly better in 2026, having failed to score a point last season.
Is Flavio Briatore’s target for Alpine in 2026 realistic or too ambitious?
The biggest advantage Alpine have gained this season is becoming a Mercedes engine customer, and the early signs suggest that was a good move.
Alpine completed the fourth-most laps in the Barcelona shakedown, with only Mercedes, Ferrari and Haas beating their tally.
Now, a clip has emerged of Alpine’s car in action on track, and it’s caused a stir amongst F1 fans after seeing their new rear wing.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Formula 1 fans spot Alpine’s 2026 F1 car on track with unique ‘ghost wing’ in action
A video of Alpine’s 2026 car exiting a right-hand corner and then immediately opening its rear wing appeared on Reddit.
Instead of pivoting open in the way that the DRS flap would in the previous generation of cars, Alpine’s A526 hinges at the bottom, with the top of the rear wing remaining perpendicular to the ground.
It’s believed only Alpine and Audi have used this design, and it attracted plenty of reaction from fans online.
In the previous era of F1, teams were told how the DRS flap had to hinge, whereas now they can be more creative with their solutions.
Every team except Alpine and Audi have stuck with the traditional method, while Audi’s configuration is a hybrid between the previous system and what Steve Nielsen’s outfit have created.
One fan hypothesised: ‘What if the wing flexes backwards due to pressure and creates mini DRS that way?’
Lewis Hamilton led the way in Barcelona but the gaps were tight!
Who impressed you most in the shakedown? ⬇️
‘A lot of positivity surrounding Alpine. Interesting,’ said another comment, while one person suggested: ‘If we get a Mercedes vs Alpine vs Aston Martin championship battle, I will be so confused.’
One comment read: ‘Alpine has always had great designers. A lot of concepts the Alpine made in its last-gen car, other teams adopted. They were consistently held back by an unreliable and underpowered PU.’
‘Pierre 100% deserves another win and more podiums,’ suggested another fan, as one statement read: ‘I’ve heard the term ghost wing used to describe it. I want to see the airflow coming from this car with the wing open like that.’
Finally, one person was more hesitant about Alpine’s new design and said: ‘My first concern with this design as opposed to the trailing edge pivot is that this could fail in the open position if the actuator fails, but a trailing edge pivot fails closed.
‘F1 engineers normally get the benefit of the doubt from me, given their vastly superior knowledge, but this is Renault we’re talking about.’
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Franco Colapinto from F1 stats to height
Franco Colapinto reacts to 2026 Barcelona shakedown ending ahead of Bahrain pre-season testing
There will be very few drivers on the grid who will feel they have more to prove in 2026 than Colapinto.
The 22-year-old completed more races without scoring a point than any other driver last year following his move from Williams.
Reflecting on the shakedown in Barcelona coming to an end on Instagram, Colapinto said: “BARCELONA finished!!!!!! Good shakedown but eager to keep improving and getting to know the new car… See you in Bahrain in a few days!!”
The mood at Alpine appears to be far more positive than last season, although that’s a very low bar considering the difficulties they faced.
Colapinto’s fastest time in Barcelona was 1.4 seconds off Gasly’s, but there are so many potential reasons why that might be the case that nothing can be read into it.
Flavio Briatore will put Colapinto under pressure if he doesn’t perform in 2026, but with a more competitive car and a full pre-season under his belt, he should be in a far stronger position to showcase his talents.
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