Pierre Gasly has revealed that Alpine understands exactly why performance has been so poor in the 2025 Formula 1 season, while insisting the focus remains on turning those lessons into a stronger 2026 campaign.
The French driver has been carrying the weight of Alpine’s difficult season, with the Enstone-based team anchored to the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.
A handful of points finishes, including Gasly’s season-best sixth at the British Grand Prix, have prevented the team from falling entirely out of the midfield fight. Yet, Gasly remains optimistic about the team’s future.
Speaking ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, when asked by Motorsport Week about the basis of Alpine’s enthusiasm for 2026, Gasly emphasised the team’s awareness of its current performance gap and the strategic steps being taken to address it.
He highlighted the team’s extra wind tunnel time and the ability to redirect development focus to 2026 as key reasons behind his optimism for next year.
“On paper, we are the team with the most wind tunnel time compared to any other team,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “So that’s already an advantage which we need to utilise as best as we can.
“But from what I’m seeing back at the factory, the whole team is aware of what we missed this year. We are aware of the gap that we currently have.
“We are able to really estimate how much is coming from what area and what area of the cars. When you put everything together and the solutions that we have that we can implement from this year, from a sort of like a great strategy we are focusing on next season, I think things are looking a lot brighter than they are when you look at the current position in the standings.”
Gasly on Alpine’s preparation for 2026
Gasly continued, acknowledging that while the 2025 season is exceptionally close, the focus remains on addressing weaknesses and preparing a competitive package for next year.
“Exactly as I said, we know our weaknesses, we know how to fix them,” he added. “I think some of them will be fixed, some others still need to be worked on. But on paper, I think it’s normal with this wind tunnel time or extra time that we are in a decent position.
“Are we in the best position? Definitely not. But definitely a position that needs to bring belief and hope that we can turn up next year with a competitive car. And that’s what I expect from the team.”
While the 29-year-old remains fixated on Alpine’s preparations for 2026, he reflected on the current season’s inconsistent results and explained how factors such as weather, strategy, and race circumstances have contributed to fluctuating performances.
“I think most of them are based on whether the weather is coming for us,” he replied when asked about how the better weekends have come about. “With Silverstone, on a dry day, we would have never been able to be where we were. So I think it’s just being aware of that.
“With Spa, I was defending my position as best as I could. And I think if we would have let one car by, I think probably five would have gone by. So I think it’s mainly trying to get the best of the situations that we are in.
“Obviously, we need to create those chances with our performance in qualifying on Saturdays and [with the] strategy. And trying to put ourselves in the best place possible. I think we definitely got the best out of these races where we scored points.
“But on a normal day, that’s not where we are. That’s why we’ve got to accept that sometimes our best will be good enough for 15th or 16th. And sometimes our best on a given day with certain conditions will be good enough to score points. But regardless, we’ve got to try and keep fighting every single weekend.”
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