BWT Alpine Formula One Team – Pierre Gasly stands firm under Verstappen pressure for P7 at Suzuka

BWT Alpine Formula One Team leaves Suzuka with solid points and a clearer pecking order. On a circuit as demanding as it is revealing, the French outfit confirmed its place in the heart of the midfield, led by a composed and combative Pierre Gasly, while Franco Colapinto remained trapped in heavy traffic from start to finish.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team: Pierre Gasly holds firm as Alpine settles into the fight

A race of attrition, precision and composure

Over 53 laps in fully dry conditions, with track temperatures ranging from 32 to 38°C, the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix rewarded drivers capable of holding their line, looking after their tyres and making the most of every phase of energy deployment.

From lights out, Pierre Gasly held on to seventh place and immediately settled into a clean rhythm. The Frenchman built his opening stint methodically, using the ERS effectively in the final sector while keeping the group behind under control. In the opening laps, he managed to contain Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto while maintaining a steady pace.

For Franco Colapinto, the race took on a very different complexion. A slight touch of wheelspin at the start dropped him back and immediately boxed him into the pack. In those conditions, the front end of the Alpine A526 became trickier to handle through the high-speed corners, particularly in the sweeping first sector. The Argentinian found himself having to use more energy to defend, without ever really being able to build a lasting attack.

The turning point of the race came on lap 22, when a Virtual Safety Car was triggered following Oliver Bearman’s accident at Spoon. Alpine reacted immediately by bringing both cars in, but without any major strategic gain: several direct rivals pitted as well, and the pack closed up. The gap Pierre Gasly had gradually built disappeared, turning the second half of the race into a test of resistance.

That was the moment when the Frenchman’s drive took on another dimension. For more than twenty-five laps, Pierre Gasly had to withstand repeated attacks from Max Verstappen. The key moment came on lap 31, when the Red Bull Racing driver tried the outside at 130R and briefly edged ahead. But Pierre Gasly hit straight back into the chicane thanks to a better exit from Spoon and perfectly judged ERS deployment. A response that was clean, sharp and decisive.

What followed was an exercise in control. Lap after lap, Pierre Gasly shut the door, managed his launches and offered no opening. Behind the pair, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg remained poised to strike, but never truly managed to turn the tide.

Franco Colapinto, meanwhile, never managed to break free from traffic. Despite overtaking Esteban Ocon, his race remained compromised by dirty air and a front-end balance that deteriorated the closer he followed. A mistake into the chicane cost him more time, and any hope of climbing back towards the points vanished for good.

At the chequered flag, Pierre Gasly finished seventh, +32.340 behind race winner Kimi Antonelli, with just 0.337s in hand over Max Verstappen. His personal best lap was a 1:33.691. Franco Colapinto came home 16th at +65.773, on the same lap as the leader, but without ever being able to fully exploit the potential of his race.

BWT Alpine Formula One Team – Conclusion

BWT Alpine Formula One Team leaves Suzuka with something tangible in its hands. Not just six points, but a clean, controlled race that says a great deal about where the team truly stands today.

Pierre Gasly spent more than twenty-five laps staring into his mirrors. Behind him, Max Verstappen. And yet nothing gave way. No lock-up, no ragged line, no missed drive out of a corner. Just a sequence of laps held together with precision, where every exit mattered and every energy deployment made a difference. It was not flashy. It was solid. And it was exactly what was required.

The car, for its part, did exactly what it needed to do. On a circuit like Suzuka, which forgives nothing, the Alpine A526 delivered: stable, consistent and capable of stringing laps together without dropping away. It did not dominate, it did not astonish. It simply did what was asked of it today: stay in the right group and give its driver the chance to fight.

For Franco Colapinto, the picture was different. Trapped in traffic very early on, he never really had the chance to build his race. At this level, following another car is enough to upset the balance, wear the tyres harder and take away that little extra margin that allows you to try something. And when you start further back, everything becomes longer, tighter, more restrictive.

That is where the weekend is really decided. Not only on Sunday, but from Saturday onwards. Qualify a little higher, find a bit of clean air, avoid having to chase the race.

The team knows it. Nothing is out of reach, but nothing comes easily either. There is still work to do: refine, polish, and understand how to turn these tidy weekends into more visible results.

Suzuka has not changed everything overnight. But it has confirmed one simple thing: Alpine is where it belongs… and is beginning, quietly, to look ahead.

They said

Pierre Gasly (7th)

“The race was really intense from start to finish and I am very pleased with seventh place, which allows us to score more points for the championship. It was a strong team effort, managed well from start to finish. There were two distinct phases, before and after the safety car intervention. We have seen that races have been quite lively since the start of the season, so we expected a safety car, real or virtual, at some point.

We were opening up a gap over the cars behind us, but after the neutralisation we had to withstand pressure from Max [Verstappen] for twenty-five laps. We had to defend a lot and that is never easy against a four-time world champion. So I am happy that we managed to keep our position and secure some big points. It has been a positive weekend for the team and we are not that far away from the faster teams.

The car has a sound base, so we need to stay motivated and keep working hard to catch our rivals.”

Franco Colapinto (16th)

“It was a very long and frustrating race today, with a lot of time spent staring at another car’s rear wing. We made a very good start and gained a position on the opening lap, staying in touch with the two VCARBs and with the top ten in our sights. We reacted by pitting to cover Ollie [Bearman] and we managed to come back out ahead of him.

I battled with him for a few laps before suddenly seeing him slide into the grass and across in front of me on the run into Spoon. Looking at the footage, there is a big speed differential, which may be a characteristic of these new cars. I am really relieved that he is okay. The safety car came out straight afterwards, at a very bad moment for us, and it cost us places.

It is a shame, because before that we were in the fight with Liam [Lawson] and other drivers who finished in the points. In the end, we need to be better on Saturday to put ourselves in a stronger position for the race. We will use the break to work hard at Enstone and come back stronger in Miami.”

Flavio Briatore:

“It was another positive weekend for the team, with another points finish at the start of the season. Repeating this performance on a circuit like Suzuka confirms the progress made in Shanghai and shows that we are currently in the fight with Red Bull to be the fourth force on the grid.

Pierre delivered another fantastic race and managed the pressure extremely well to keep Max [Verstappen] behind for more than twenty-five laps. The safety car came at the worst possible moment for Franco, who was very close to the points during the opening stint. For Franco, Saturday’s result was the limiting factor, forcing him into a chasing role throughout the race.

The objective now is for him to put himself in a position to be more competitive at the next races. With this short break, we will certainly not be standing still and we will work hard at Enstone to bring more performance to the car and continue giving both our drivers the same opportunity to perform and score points.”

Japanese Grand Prix 2026 – Race classification at Suzuka

Constructors’ Championship after the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix

With 16 points on the board, BWT Alpine Formula One Team sits fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, level on points with Oracle Red Bull Racing. The 6 points scored by Pierre Gasly at Suzuka keep the team fully involved in the midfield battle, in an area where every Sunday can reshuffle the order.

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Source: BWT Alpine Formula One Team