Sanchez: We are paying for the decisions made before the season.

      Alpine F1's problems, struggling to score points this season, are related to decisions made before the start of the championship when plans for upgrading the A525 car were formulated. In 2026, the factory team of Renault will face radical changes, as they will switch to a new technical regulation and change their power unit supplier, so it was decided to minimize the chassis upgrade program. Now, this is regrettable, but little can be done to fix it. Half of the season is behind us, and the team is at the bottom of the constructors' standings with just 19 points – 10 fewer than ninth-placed Haas F1. "The plans were made before the season started. It was decided that this year we would only prepare a significant package of updates for the Barcelona round," admitted David Sanchez, Alpine F1's Executive Technical Director, in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport. "All the cars are very similar in design. The differences between them are becoming quite small, but this means that the weaknesses inherent in our A525 are becoming more noticeable. Therefore, at some circuits, we have to tune the aerodynamics to reduce downforce, but this leads to increased tire wear. Things were worst in Austria. When everything goes smoothly, our pace isn't so bad. And right now, the main goal is to reach that level as often as possible. We need to adapt as precisely as possible to the specific conditions of each race — that's how we should act at every next stage. Sometimes the results are truly frustrating, but our guys are doing everything they can. Of course, it’s bad if we have no confidence at all that we can earn any points before the end of the year. All of this is depressing. But we made a bold decision when planning the season, and now we’re paying the price for it. I suggested to the team to take this path. I hope this approach pays off next year. We want to return to the leading group, to fight for podiums. Judging by what I see at the Enstone base, preparations for 2026 are going well. Everyone in the team has high expectations, and I can’t wait for the moment when we see the new car on track. Last year, some already wrote us off, but we managed to turn the tide. However, this year, the situation is somewhat different. Currently, we aren't even competing for points. We're slower than our direct rivals. Therefore, we have to rely on circumstances — sometimes this is the only way to help us. But closing the gap will be very difficult."