Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto lined up 12th and 13th on the grid for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, ending Saturday just outside the top ten. Gasly finished two-tenths off a points-scoring position and beat one Audi, but both drivers admitted the Alpine A526 is short on pace at a downforce-hungry circuit. The team is now pinning its hopes on a good start and shifting winds for the race.

Alpine leaves Saturday at the Hungaroring with both cars close together but still on the fringe of the midfield fight. Pierre Gasly took 12th in qualifying with a lap of 1:18.844, one place and just under two-tenths ahead of team-mate Franco Colapinto, who set a 1:19.027 for 13th. Earlier, Free Practice 3 had followed a similar pattern, with Gasly 12th and Colapinto 14th.

A track that rewards downforce

The Hungaroring is one of the most aerodynamically demanding circuits on the calendar, and Alpine went into the weekend expecting it to expose a car that is still waiting for planned upgrades. Managing Director Steve Nielsen said the result was a fair reflection of where the team stands with its current package, but pointed to the small margin to the top ten as a positive.

“You can see from today’s result, and both cars being close together on the timesheets, that it’s probably a fair reflection of where we are at this circuit with the package we have. It’s a track that rewards downforce and with performance development coming later down the line, we knew it would probably be a venue that we could struggle at,” Nielsen said.

He added that the gap to the top ten was closer than expected and that the team at its Enstone base is working to give the drivers a stronger car.

Gasly: lacking pace but progressing

Gasly said reaching Q-level pace on a single set of Soft tyres was a step forward from Friday, even if the balance is still not to his liking.

“If you take where we started the weekend and the relative pace compared to the others, you’d have to say being two-tenths off the top-10 and beating one Audi is probably better than we expected going into the session,” Gasly said. “On the other hand, I’m struggling a lot and the feeling in the car isn’t great. We’re just lacking pace at the moment and we’re too far back from the top of the midfield fight, which is where we need to aim for.”

The Frenchman noted that Alpine has kept a fresh set of Hard tyres for the race and that rising winds could change the picture. With overtaking notoriously hard at the Hungaroring, he expects the team will need a strong getaway and an alternative strategy to make places.

Colapinto eyes the upgrades

Colapinto was still recovering ground after losing track time on Friday, and described the weekend as feeling like a Sprint format with limited running. He said P13 was about where the car belongs for now.

“I was still catching up today after yesterday and the missed track time but even then, P13 is ultimately where we are this weekend,” Colapinto said. “We are waiting for the upgrades we have planned and hope that they can bring a big step as we are still a bit on the back foot this weekend.”

The Argentine is targeting a repeat of the team’s recent points finish at Spa, hoping the A526’s stronger race pace can help him move forward before the summer break.

What it means

With both cars in the lower midfield, Alpine’s race will hinge on the start and on conditions the team expects to shift. Gasly and Colapinto both said the A526’s race pace tends to be better than its single-lap form, giving them a chance to fight back over a full distance. A bigger step, however, is being reserved for future upgrades from Enstone.

The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, the final round before Formula One’s summer break.

Facts: Alpine at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix

  • Qualifying: Pierre Gasly P12 (1:18.844)
  • Qualifying: Franco Colapinto P13 (1:19.027)
  • Free Practice 3: Gasly P12 (1:19.723); Colapinto P14 (1:20.055)
  • Car: Alpine A526
  • Race: Sunday, before the summer break

Source: media.alpinecars.com