Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto offer mixed verdict on Alpine’s 2026 Chinese Grand Prix points

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto had mixed emotions after Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, though both drivers picked up points during an action-packed weekend.

Gasly added eight more points to his tally by finishing sixth in Shanghai – his best result since the British Grand Prix in June 2025 – having scored his first point of the campaign at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

As for Colapinto, P10 in China earned the Argentinian his first F1 point since the 2024 United States Grand Prix, and Alpine are into double figures after just two races – having needed nine rounds to hit that mark last year.

“I have one side of me who is really pleased with the sixth place,” said Gasly after Sunday’s race. “Another side deep inside me that is pretty upset because I knew fifth place was ours.

“Before the Safety Car, I was comfortably in P5 and we’re had the pace – we were faster than [Ollie] Bearman. I lost some ground in the middle of the race, battling with the Haas and Max [Verstappen], and Ollie kind of pulled away.

“I was giving absolutely everything and I really had the stick between my teeth to go after these guys, and in the end I didn’t miss [by] much. It’s still a fantastic result for the team and I’m glad to see we have some pace to battle for these positions.”

Alpine’s decision last season to focus on the 2026 car and switch to the new Mercedes power unit has had a positive impact on the team, who sit seventh in the standings – only two points behind Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

The fight between Gasly and Bearman could well last throughout the year, as questions remain whether it will be Alpine or Haas who ultimately come out on top at the end of the season.

“I think we’ve showed pace the whole weekend,” continued Gasly. “Seventh in Sprint Quali, seventh in [Qualifying]. In the race we were pretty competitive – and there’ve been a few issues.

“I would have liked to battle a bit more with [Bearman], but I’m sure we’re going to see each other on track pretty often this year.”

Alpine and Haas were also battling elsewhere, as both Colapinto and Esteban Ocon found themselves towards the front early on after staying out as most drivers pitted under a Safety Car.

However, the pair eventually came together as Colapinto took a wide line through Turns 1-2 before Ocon hit the Alpine’s right-rear tyre in an attempt up the inside – sending both cars into a spin.

“He’s just touched me, but to be honest it was a fun race with him. We fought a lot,” said Colapinto afterwards.

“I lost 2 points in that contact and it’s not what I wanted. It was a tricky afternoon, but all-in-all it was positive. Valuable points for the team.

“It could have been much better, I was really unlucky all day. I did all that I could but… It was positive. We started bad and we ended up really quick. We need to find more performance, but [it was] better.”