BWT Alpine Formula One Team – Pierre Gasly drops to 16th as Franco Colapinto recovers to 13th at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

BWT Alpine Formula One Team leaves Sepang with a sense of what might have been. Competitive throughout practice and firmly in the final part of qualifying with Pierre Gasly, the French team appeared to have everything in place to add more points at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. Tropical rain, a track that took far longer than expected to dry and an early gamble on slick tyres ultimately turned Sunday on its head.

Starting ninth, Pierre Gasly slipped to 16th after a four-stop race. Franco Colapinto, consigned to the back of the grid by a combined 15-place penalty, went the other way, climbing from 21st to 13th. Neither BWT Alpine Formula One Team driver, however, was able to break into the points.

The outcome was all the more frustrating because the Alpine A526 had looked convincing for much of the weekend. Pierre Gasly had finished inside the top ten in both Friday sessions, Franco Colapinto had climbed to ninth in Free Practice 3, and the team had deliberately kept several sets of fresh tyres in reserve for a race in which strategy, degradation and the weather were all expected to play a major part.

Friday – Free Practice 1 & Free Practice 2

Two programmes, with the Alpine A526 already in a strong operating window

Formula 1’s return to Sepang immediately brought Pierre Gasly back to familiar surroundings. It was at the Malaysian circuit that the Frenchman made his Grand Prix debut in 2017. Nine years on, the 5.543-kilometre layout had lost none of its character: fast, sweeping corners, heavy braking zones, oppressive humidity and an abrasive surface all made their presence felt from the outset.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team completed 104 laps across Friday, covering a total of 576 kilometres. Pierre Gasly logged 51 laps and 283 kilometres, while Franco Colapinto completed 53 laps and 294 kilometres. Both drivers ran the C2 and C3 compounds.

The headline times, however, only told part of the story, as the two sides of the garage were running markedly different programmes.

Pierre Gasly followed a more conventional Friday programme, combining set-up work, different fuel loads and outright performance runs. Seventh in Free Practice 1 with a 1’38”715, he backed that up a few hours later by taking tenth in Free Practice 2 with a 1’38”588.

The Alpine A526 looked balanced enough to put Gasly firmly among the drivers with a realistic shot at Q3. Grip levels remained low and the tyres were already being worked hard by the heat and the abrasive surface, but the changes made across the two sessions kept the car in an encouraging operating window.

Franco Colapinto’s day required a different reading. Nineteenth in FP1 with a 1’40”531 and 22nd in FP2 with a 1’43”391, the Argentinian was never primarily chasing single-lap performance.

His programme was shaped by the 15-place grid penalty already hanging over him for Sunday.

Following the five-place penalty carried over from his incident in Baku, BWT Alpine Formula One Team used the Sepang weekend to fit new power unit elements to his Alpine A526, adding a further ten-place drop. With even a strong qualifying result unlikely to make much difference to his starting position, the team focused his Friday on high-fuel running and understanding tyre degradation.

It was a logical approach on a circuit BWT Alpine Formula One Team considered conducive to overtaking. The aim was not so much to feature prominently on the timesheets as to have a car capable of making progress through the field on Sunday.

The programme also gave the team valuable data on tyre behaviour with a heavy fuel load. That was particularly important at Sepang, where the high temperatures and abrasive asphalt made overheating the tyres a genuine concern.

Steve Nielsen also pointed to the weather as a permanent variable at the end of the day. At Sepang at this time of year, the sky can upset the best-laid plans at any moment. Two days later, that warning would prove especially pertinent.

Saturday – Free Practice 3 & Qualifying

Pierre Gasly locks down ninth as Franco Colapinto turns his focus to Sunday

Saturday first confirmed that Friday’s positions had not fully reflected Franco Colapinto’s potential.

On his first proper low-fuel running of the weekend, the Argentinian put the Alpine A526 ninth in Free Practice 3 with a 1’37”920. Pierre Gasly finished 13th in 1’38”241.

The two Alpine A526s were separated by just 0.321 seconds, another indication that Colapinto had genuine pace once his programme was no longer centred almost entirely on long runs.

Qualifying then presented the two drivers with very different objectives.

Pierre Gasly needed to convert the Alpine A526’s potential. Franco Colapinto’s priority was to avoid needlessly using tyres he could put to better use in the race.

Gasly delivered a particularly clean session. Reaching Q3 had been the stated target, and the Frenchman achieved it without needing to take unnecessary risks.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team had quickly identified the realistic ceiling: behind the four leading teams, ninth place was likely to be the best result available.

The team therefore took a pragmatic approach in Q3. Pierre Gasly used two sets of used soft tyres, allowing him to keep a fresh set back for the race.

The Frenchman eventually set a 1’37”210 to secure ninth place, ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto.

More encouraging than the position itself was the manner in which it was achieved. The Alpine A526 looked well balanced and competitive enough to reach the final part of qualifying on a regular basis, a notable step forward for a team still working to close the gap to those ahead.

Franco Colapinto was classified 15th without setting a time in Q2.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team had considered using him to give Pierre Gasly a tow, but ultimately abandoned the idea. The expected gain was judged too small compared with the risk involved and the benefit of keeping another fresh set of soft tyres for the Argentinian.

The team therefore sent him out on used tyres and tried to gain a few places in Q2, without success against rivals running fresh rubber.

With his combined 15-place penalty, Franco Colapinto knew his real fight would begin on Sunday from 21st on the grid.

Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, would start ninth with one clear objective: turn another Q3 appearance into points.

Sunday – Race

The slick gamble falls the wrong way

At Sepang, the weather tore up the carefully prepared scenarios from the previous day.

Heavy rain delayed the start procedure and left the teams facing a difficult track to read. Once the wait was over, BWT Alpine Formula One Team made an aggressive call: both Alpine A526s were sent out on fresh soft tyres.

The gamble was based on a reasonable assumption. With high ambient temperatures, an abrasive surface and spray that appeared likely to disappear quickly, the team expected only a short transition before the slicks came into their working window. The reality proved very different.

The track remained greasy for far longer than anticipated, with extremely little grip despite the surface gradually looking less saturated.

Pierre Gasly found that out before the race had even properly begun. While trying to bring his soft tyres up to temperature on the formation lap, the Frenchman lost control of the Alpine A526 and ran onto the wet grass. He was nevertheless able to gather the car up and continue.

The warning was obvious: the slicks were not yet in their element.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team then faced a choice: abandon the gamble immediately and return to a more conventional strategy, or stick with the original plan in the hope that the circuit would quickly come towards the dry tyres. The team chose the latter. It proved costly.

Pierre Gasly, who had started ninth, stopped on lap nine for a fresh set of mediums. He then switched to new hards on lap 25 before returning to used softs on laps 37 and 45.

Four stops in total, in a race in which the Alpine A526 never managed to recover the position it had held before the start. Pierre Gasly eventually finished 16th, with a fastest lap of 1’41”514.

The contrast was stark: 24 hours earlier, he had put BWT Alpine Formula One Team ninth on the grid and looked to be the leading driver behind the representatives of the four dominant teams.

The race dropped him seven places further back.

Franco Colapinto was operating from a different position. Starting 21st, the Argentinian had considerably less to lose and far more to gain from an aggressive strategy.

He too started on fresh softs before switching to new mediums on lap nine. His second stop came on lap 31 for fresh hards, before he returned to new mediums on lap 42.

Three stops, eight places gained and 13th at the finish. His fastest lap, a 1’40”988, was 0.526 seconds quicker than Pierre Gasly’s best.

The result brought no points, but it did reinforce one view shared within the Alpine garage: once conditions genuinely suited slick tyres, the Alpine A526 had competitive pace.

The problem, then, was not simply the decision to choose soft tyres.

The problem was putting them on too early.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team

A Sunday lost in the crossover call

Sepang was a weekend that cannot be judged on the final classification alone.

For two days, BWT Alpine Formula One Team had put together a coherent weekend. Pierre Gasly had finished seventh and tenth on Friday, Franco Colapinto had set the ninth-fastest time in Free Practice 3 and the Alpine A526 had secured another place in Q3.

Sunday overturned that momentum in the space of a few decisions.

The slick gamble was not unreasonable. Franco Colapinto explained after the race that, with high temperatures and an abrasive surface, the conditions appeared likely to evolve quickly. There was little spray, the circuit no longer looked deeply wet and an early crossover could have catapulted both Alpine A526s into a much stronger position. But Sepang refused to play along. The racing line remained greasy, grip was insufficient and the expected dry-tyre window opened too late.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team also paid the price for persisting with the gamble after the first signs of trouble. Pierre Gasly acknowledged as much: once committed to that direction, the team either had to pit and change course or keep faith with the original plan. Alpine chose to stay with it. The hoped-for turnaround never came.

Flavio Briatore’s comments after the race made no attempt to disguise the failure. In the Italian’s view, the team had either made the wrong decisions or simply not done a good enough job collectively given its starting positions.

It was a stark assessment, but one that reflected the facts.

Sunday did not, however, erase the technical progress seen over recent Grands Prix. Pierre Gasly believes the Alpine A526 is now balanced enough to reach Q3 regularly, while Franco Colapinto also highlighted the contribution of the team’s latest upgrades.

The car had pace. BWT Alpine Formula One Team simply failed to turn that pace into a result. And in the championship fight, that mistake was costly.

While Alpine left without a point, Racing Bulls put Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad inside the top ten. BWT Alpine Formula One Team remains sixth in the Constructors’ Championship on 68 points, with Racing Bulls on 90.

The gap now stands at 22 points.

They said

Pierre Gasly — 16th:

“It was a difficult Sunday. It was one of those days where things can swing one way or the other, but they clearly did not go our way today. After the start procedure was suspended, there was a long wait and we opted for the soft tyres.

It seemed like the right thing to do and I supported the decision. I had a big moment on the formation lap while trying to get temperature into them, but I managed to keep control and get back on track. The gamble did not pay off because the track was too wet and then took too long to dry. Like others, we lost a lot of time as a result. At that point, you either pit and rethink the strategy or try to stick with the original plan. We chose the second option, but everything seemed to go against us. We never had an opportunity to make the situation work in our favour.

In the end, it was a tough day with a difficult result to take. We will go through everything together, stay united and head to Singapore with the aim of getting back into the points. Finally, well done to the pit crew, who were kept very busy with so many stops and did an excellent job this afternoon.”

Franco Colapinto — 13th:

“It is a shame the race played out the way it did. Given my position on the grid and the extra uncertainty brought by the rain, I was in a good position to take that kind of risk with the tyres. I thought the conditions at the start would allow us to make it work and gain a lot of places, but the track did not dry quickly enough and we lost a lot of time.

Like others, I was surprised by how long it took to dry. With the high ambient temperatures and the abrasive surface, we expected the conditions to come towards us quite quickly, but in the end that never happened. The track did not look wet and there was very little spray, but it was greasy and offered very little grip. With hindsight, it was not the right decision, but from there we did everything we could to recover ground.

Our pace on slicks was there, which is encouraging for the next races. We need to put together strong and consistent performances from here to reduce the gap in the championship. With the number of races still to come, everything is still possible.”

Flavio Briatore:

“This is not the result we were hoping for given our starting positions. Even less so with our rivals scoring points and the gap as it now stands in the championship.

We had been competitive throughout the weekend up to this point, but given the way the race unfolded, we either did not make the right decisions or did not do a good enough job as a team. Like some of the other teams, we tried something different with the tyres and then did our best to recover, but it did not pay off.

Our pace in the dry did look promising, however, and there are still plenty of races left for us to fight for fifth place in the championship.”

From Sepang to Singapore, Alpine must bounce back

BWT Alpine Formula One Team will not have long to dwell on the opportunities lost in Malaysia. Singapore comes immediately afterwards, bringing a very different challenge but the same pressure: to turn the potential of the Alpine A526 into points. Sepang showed two sides of the picture.

On one hand, there was a car capable of putting Pierre Gasly into Q3, allowing Franco Colapinto to secure a top-ten result in Free Practice 3 and producing solid pace once the track conditions suited its tyres.

On the other, there was a team that misjudged the evolution of the conditions on Sunday and paid heavily for persisting with its strategic gamble.

In such a tight fight for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, speed alone is not enough. Reading the weather correctly, preserving the right sets of tyres and making the right calls from the pit wall can matter every bit as much as the tenths found on track.

Alpine and Renault’s Formula 1 history is full of weekends when the ability to respond proved just as important as outright performance. After Sepang, that is precisely what BWT Alpine Formula One Team will need to show.

At Marina Bay, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto must now turn the signs of progress from the Alpine A526 into points on the board.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team performance at the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia

Beyond the final result, the figures show how the weekend developed. Pierre Gasly remained among the leading midfield runners through to qualifying, while Franco Colapinto devoted much of Friday to race preparation before showing his true potential on Saturday morning. Sunday’s rain then reshuffled the order.

Source: BWT Alpine Formula One Team