ALPINE SURGES THEN STUMBLES IN 2026 GRADES

Original: F1 2026 mid-season grades: Alpine makes great strides but struggles to maintain momentum

Alpine demonstrates significant progress in 2026 development despite occasional setbacks after shifting focus from 2025.

From all the teams that wrote off 2025 or shifted focus to 2026 much earlier, Alpine is actually the squad that saw the biggest benefits from that approach. Powered by Mercedes engines, the squad enjoyed a strong start to the season. But Alpine's first half of the year has been slightly downgraded t