The Alpine junior program lineup for the 2026 season seems stronger than the previous year. There have been only minor changes in the lineup, and Alpine has taken Alex Dunne under its wing. The French team has several drivers directly in the F1 pipeline, but the question remains whether they will decide to promote someone?
Alpine did not make any general announcements related to their junior program this year. They informed in March about hiring Alex Dunne, the other drivers in their academy remained, so no announcements were needed.
History and objectives of the Alpine junior program
The Alpine junior program is a continuation of the Renault and Lotus programs, which have been operating since 2002. Several dozen drivers have passed through this development program, and one of the first was Robert Kubica. Many graduates have reached Formula 1 or other major racing series and have had significant careers. However, it should be added that many drivers who achieved success appeared in the Renault / Lotus / Alpine program only for a certain time, and only after leaving it did they manage to secure a position in F1 or other major racing series. Very few graduates of this academy have been promoted directly to the team based in Enstone. Currently, in the F1 field, we have three drivers (Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon, and Oscar Piastri) who belonged to the Lotus / Renault / Alpine development program for some time.
Since 2023, there has been a change in the approach to the functioning of the Alpine junior program. They expanded its lineup, incorporated drivers who were previously only collaborators (sponsored) into the academy. They also changed the approach to driver preparation; it is no longer just a program focused on F1 but also on the WEC series, where Alpine has its factory team. It will be interesting to see how this will be next year because after the current season ends, Alpine is withdrawing from the WEC series and will not need as many drivers. The head of the Alpine development program is Julian Rouse.
Alpine junior program lineup in 2026
Below I present the Alpine junior program lineup for 2026 in alphabetical order. Next to the name, I provide nationality and year of birth, and below the racing series and teams they will be driving for in the 2026 season. The lineup includes five male drivers and two female drivers.
Keanu Al Azhari – United Arab Emirates – 2007
Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship – Hitech
Eurocup-3 – Hitech
Kabir Anurag – Singapore – 2007
Formula Regional Middle East Trophy – ART Grand Prix
Formula Regional European Championship – ART Grand Prix
Alex Dunne – Ireland – 2005
FIA Formula 2 Championship – Rodin Motorsport
Nina Gademan – Netherlands – 2003
F1 Academy – MP Motorsport
Sukhmani Kaur Khera – United Kingdom – 2012
Karting
Kush Maini – India – 2000
FIA Formula 2 Championship – ART Grand Prix
F1 team reserve driver
Gabriele Mini – Italy – 2005
FIA Formula 2 Championship – MP Motorsport
Minor changes in the Alpine development academy for the 2026 season
The only transfer to the Alpine academy before the 2026 season is Alex Dunne, who belonged to the McLaren academy last year. Alpine, however, has withdrawn support for Nicola Lacorte and Ilie Tristan Crisan. The situation with Lacorte is interesting because I did not find confirmation whether he left Alpine or the French team dropped him. Lacorte is the son of Italian millionaire Roberto Lacorte, and for this reason, he was compared to Lance Stroll. However, Nicola’s sporting results are terrible. Alpine had sporting reasons to drop him, but on the other hand, in such a scenario, they will lose money.
Discussion of Alpine academy drivers competing in 2026
Alpine has three juniors in Formula 2 in 2026: Kush Maini, Gabriele Mini, and Alex Dunne. For Maini, this is already his fourth season in this series; he has never finished any previous season in the TOP10 of the overall standings. The Indian is already 26 years old, so it is easy to guess that he is in the Alpine academy for financial reasons. Maini is also a reserve driver for the F1 team, even though he does not have a super license and cannot race in F1 races. Every year, he has the opportunity to do several F1 car tests. Alpine keeps him in their academy because his sponsors have to finance all this. Kush Maini is supported by Mika Hakkinen, who is his mentor.
Gabriele Mini became the Formula 3 runner-up in 2024 and moved up to Formula 2. In his full debut season in F2, he did not stand out much, finishing only 13th in the final classification. He started the current season much better; at the time of writing this article, he is in second place in the standings (after four races).
Alex Dunne joined Alpine this year, a driver who has been talked about for over a year. The Irishman has an aggressive driving style, achieves many successes, but also often has collisions and makes mistakes. Last year, he belonged to the McLaren development program and impressed during his F1 debut practice. Later, he terminated the contract because he had an agreement with Red Bull, but due to changes in that team, the contract with him was terminated (reportedly they paid him compensation). For this season, he signed with Alpine, and this will be a very important moment for the Irishman. Dunne, wanting to maintain his chances for F1, must beat other Alpine juniors this year and finish very high in Formula 2.
In the intermediate series in 2026, Keanu Al Azhari and Kabir Anurag compete. Al Azhari won the winter series in Spain at the beginning of the year and is currently competing in Eurocup-3, where he also has a chance for a very good result. He is a driver with potential. Kabir Anurag competes in Formula Regional, where the level is high; I do not expect him to be among the leaders there.
In the Alpine academy, there is also Nina Gademan, who will race in the F1 Academy. Every F1 team must support someone from this series; this will be her second and last season in this series. In karting, there is also another woman belonging to the Alpine academy – Sukhmani Kaur Khera.
Summary of the Alpine junior program in 2026
Stability has prevailed in the Alpine academy. They have three drivers in F2; probably only the best of them will have a chance to debut in F1. However, the question remains whether a spot will open up in the main team? Pierre Gasly has a secure place, and Franco Colapinto has improved his form and has many sponsors. It will be difficult for a young driver to be promoted there. Besides, I remind you that Paul Aron is Alpine’s reserve driver this year, another driver who recently competed in F2. Alpine organizes tests with older F1 cars for these drivers several times a year, so they know their potential very well. We will see what Alpine’s approach to their academy will be next year when they withdraw from the WEC series.
Junior programs of other F1 teams in 2026
Most Formula 1 teams run junior (development) programs; I will systematically discuss their lineups for the 2026 season. On the blog, you will find detailed discussions of the McLaren program (details), Mercedes (details), Williams (details), Red Bull (details), Ferrari (details), and Aston Martin (details). Currently, 11 teams compete in F1, which have nine junior programs. Red Bull has a joint program for two teams. In recent weeks, Haas launched its program in cooperation with Toyota, and Audi also launched a new program. The only team without a classic development program is Cadillac, but this team currently does not need it. They support Colton Herta, who is preparing for his F1 debut.
