Alpine Finds Clues Behind Pierre Gasly Pace Loss

Alpine has revealed it uncovered important clues behind Pierre Gasly's sudden loss of performance during the 2026 Miami Grand Prix weekend. The Enstone-based team launched an internal investigation after Gasly was unexpectedly outperformed by team-mate Franco Colapinto throughout the event at the Miami International Autodrome.

Gasly's struggles represented a major reversal compared to the opening three rounds of the season, where the French driver consistently held the advantage over Colapinto in both qualifying and race pace. In Miami, however, Colapinto qualified eighth in both sprint qualifying and grand prix qualifying, while Gasly managed only 10th place in each session. His weekend deteriorated further after a collision with Liam Lawson flipped the Alpine upside down during the grand prix.

Team Enstone managing director Steve Nielsen explained that Alpine immediately carried out a detailed data investigation after Miami to understand the unexpected performance drop. According to Nielsen, the team has now identified several technical indicators believed to be responsible for Gasly's discomfort inside the A526 cockpit.

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"We've done some digging on Pierre's side to understand why his performance level was different compared to earlier races this season. We have some ideas and evidence regarding what occurred, and we hope both cars can return to the points in Canada," Nielsen explained.

Although Alpine has not disclosed the precise technical details, Gasly repeatedly complained about traction problems out of slow corners throughout the Miami weekend, particularly through the Turn 11 and Turn 17 sections where rear stability under acceleration proved critical. Telemetry data reportedly showed reduced wheelspin compared to Friday running, yet Gasly still experienced inconsistent acceleration phases that cost significant lap time relative to Colapinto.

The symptoms point towards a possible issue involving mechanical grip balance or torque delivery characteristics during throttle application. At a stop-and-go circuit such as Miami, even minor rear traction instability can heavily influence rear tyre temperatures and hybrid deployment efficiency, especially on corner exits leading onto long straights.

Gasly himself admitted he never felt fully comfortable with the car across the entire Miami weekend. The 30-year-old confirmed Alpine now has clearer development direction heading into the Canadian Grand Prix as the team attempts to maintain early-season momentum.

"I was not totally comfortable in the car in Miami, so we spent time trying to understand why. I think we now have some answers and some directions to take into Canada," Gasly said.

On the opposite side of the garage, Colapinto delivered Alpine's biggest positive story of the season so far. The Argentine secured the best Formula 1 finish of his career with seventh place after a post-race penalty for Charles Leclerc. The result helped Alpine reach 23 constructors' points after only four rounds, already surpassing the team's entire 2025 tally of 22 points when it finished last in the standings.

Alpine's improvement this season reflects significant gains in aerodynamic efficiency and operational execution with the A526 package compared to last year. However, the investigation into Gasly's Miami struggles also highlights that the team may still be dealing with setup sensitivities capable of affecting driver consistency, particularly at traction-limited circuits such as Miami.