Alpine has provided an update following Pierre Gasly’s crash during Free Practice 2 at the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Spa-Francorchamps when Gasly lost control exiting Turn 13 and collided heavily with the barriers, resulting in significant damage to his car.
The crash brought out the red flag, but fortunately, Gasly walked away without injury. He described the moment as a sudden snap that took him longer to recover from, which caused him to run off the track. Despite the setback, Alpine confirmed that the power unit on Gasly’s Alpine A526 was already scheduled for replacement that evening, allowing repairs to proceed without expected issues ahead of qualifying.
During the earlier Free Practice 1 session, Alpine concentrated on collecting aerodynamic data, while in FP2, the focus shifted to lap times. Gasly managed to set a competitive lap in FP2, although it was deleted due to exceeding track limits at Turn 4. The team believes the car has more pace at Spa compared to recent races and aims to build on this for the upcoming sessions.
Steve Nielsen, Alpine’s Managing Director, confirmed that the team expects no difficulties in repairing the crash damage thanks to the planned power unit change. Gasly emphasized the importance of understanding the cause of the incident and focusing on securing a top-10 qualifying position. The team’s approach reflects a measured assessment of their current performance and the challenges of the Spa circuit.
Alpine’s update highlights the ongoing technical and operational efforts required during a race weekend, especially when unexpected incidents occur. The swift response to Gasly’s crash and the scheduled maintenance underline the team’s preparedness to maintain competitiveness despite setbacks.
Gasly’s comments and the team’s confirmation provide clarity on the situation following the FP2 session. The focus now remains on consolidating the car’s pace and ensuring readiness for qualifying and the race, with no immediate concerns about the impact of the crash on Alpine’s weekend.
