(Motorsport-Total.com) – At the winter tests before the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season, Alpine surprised with an innovative flap wing. But already at the fourth race weekend of the year, the step back was taken: The team around Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly is reverting to a conventional solution modeled after the Drag-Reduction-System (DRS).
Read more TV ratings Suzuka and Miami: Sky numbers on a roller coaster
This means: The upper flap of the rear wing no longer folds down at the back, but up at the front. However, it is not a classic DRS because the leading edge of the flap protrudes beyond the rear wing. This is made possible by the new Formula 1 rules for 2026, which grant teams greater freedom in this area than before.
For the concept change, Alpine had to modify more than just the pivoting flap: The adjustment mechanism as well as the side endplates of the rear wing were also modified.
And that in a short time: Alpine originally wanted to use the new rear wing for the first time on the A526 at the Canadian Grand Prix. However, due to the cancellation of the Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the team adjusted its development schedule and brought a new rear wing to Miami. Only Gasly used the update on his car, Colapinto still used the previous version.
Read more Formula 1 Technology: What is behind the new Red Bull sidepod?
During the short break until the race in Canada, Alpine wants to complete more units so that from the next Grand Prix both drivers can compete with the new flap wing. The rear wing thus counts among the “further new parts” that Alpine team principal Steve Nielsen announced. He also said: “Our updates have worked.”
How Alpine technically aligns itself with Ferrari
Among the Alpine updates from Miami was also a construction on the exhaust tailpipe, as first developed and used by Ferrari. But unlike Ferrari, Alpine uses a more complex structure: Where Ferrari attaches a simple air deflector to the tailpipe, Alpine uses a kind of winglet that is not directly attached to the tailpipe – it stands free in the exhaust flow. It possibly works in conjunction with the new rear wing.
Additionally, Alpine used a lighter chassis for Colapinto in Miami. The Argentine thanked the team with seventh place in the Grand Prix – his best Formula 1 result so far. His teammate Gasly retired after a collision followed by a rollover in Miami.
Read more Esteban Ocon: Rollovers are the last major danger in Formula 1