FORMULA ONE is a sport that has many different complexities to it. From different components that make up the cars, most with names and abbreviations, that let’s be honest, no one truly understands, to hundreds of regulations that teams and drivers need to adhere to.
22 drivers racing under 11 teams compete in 24 races from March until December to see who will be crowned world number one.
Obviously, not every driver or team will be in the running to win the drivers’ or the constructors’ championship, as F1 is a sport built on extreme engineering and ingenuity, where no team’s car is the same.
So, here is a series to help any new fans of Formula One or anyone who is interested in understanding the basic lingo.
But before we throw you in at the deep end, we are going to walk you through the different teams.
Alpine
BWT Alpine Formula One Team, based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, has been competing in Formula One since 2021.
The team was formerly known as Renault F1 Team but rebranded to promote Renault’s sports car, Alpine.
However, at the end of the 2025 season, Renault pulled out of Formula One, and so, this now means that Alpine will race with a Mercedes Power Unit.
Who makes up the Alpine team?
The Team Principal at Alpine is Italian Flavio Briatore. His job is to oversee all the technical, operational and personnel aspects to ensure the team is moving in the right direction.
Ultimately, he has final say over key strategic decisions and represents the team publicly in the media.
Like every F1 team, there are two drivers.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly joined the team for the start of the 2023 season, joining from Alpha Tauri, now known as Racing Bulls.
Gasly started his F1 career in 2017, racing for Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s junior team.
In 2019, he was promoted to Red Bull; however, halfway through the season, he was demoted back to the junior team and replaced by Alex Albon.
Argentinian Franco Colapinto is the second driver. His Formula One career began midway through the 2024 season, replacing Logan Sargeant at Williams with nine races to go.
Because he was only contracted for those last nine races, he was left without a seat.
For the 2025 season, he joined Alpine as a test and reserve driver on a multi-year deal.
Rumours were circulating that he could replace Jack Doohan during the season if he did not get good results.
Following the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Colapinto would replace Doohan.
Their current test/reserve drivers are Estonian Paul Aron and Indian Kush Maini.
As of the date of writing, ahead of the 2026 season opener, Alpine has entered 114 races, has 535 points, 1 race victory, 6 podiums, and 1 fastest lap.
Alpine’s constructor championship record is as followed:
2021 – 5th
2022 – 4th
2023 – 6th
2024 – 6th
2025 – 10th
With the new regulations now at play, these first few races could determine what direction the teams go in for the rest of the season.
If they’ve got them right, bingo; if they’ve got them wrong, they could be in for a long old season.
Next up is Aston Martin.
