Alpine seems destined to finish last in Formula 1 this season, but Pierre Gasly has continued to thrive to be rewarded with a well-deserved, long-term contract extension.
The Frenchman has scored Alpine’s 20 points to date in 2025 and has been a rock-solid presence at a time when the Anglo-French marque has endured more turbulence.
The struggles on the opposite side of the garage have coincided with more changes in personnel behind the scenes, but Gasly has provided some much-needed stability.
And as the Alpine team enters a new era under Mercedes power for 2026, Gasly once again provides a solid baseline in the cockpit for Alpine to begin the team’s rebuild.
Despite driving a clearly underperforming package, Gasly is aware that Alpine’s slump has been exacerbated due to the close nature of the midfield battle this campaign.
“I think things are looking a lot brighter than they are when you look at the current position in the standings,” Gasly told media including Motorsport Week.
“If we will be last in the championship three seconds off the fastest car, that’s one thing. This year is probably the tightest field ever.”
And in such a tight field, Gasly’s performances should probably be spoken about more, given the circumstances that he has had to contend with both on and off the track.
A standout amid more disappointment at Alpine
Having become the de facto team leader for 2025 with the departure of compatriot Esteban Ocon and the recruitment of two rookies, Gasly has stepped up to the mantle.
On multiple occasions, the Frenchman has dragged his Alpine A525 to the top 10, setting himself up for five points finishes in 2025, including some standout drives along the way.
His best result of the season has been a strong run to a sixth-place finish in tricky conditions at Silverstone, where he was overshadowed by Nico Hulkenberg’s maiden F1 podium.
But impressive runs to seventh and eighth place finishes in Bahrain and Barcelona, respectively, have ensured that Alpine has been able to take some credibility this season.
While Gasly has managed five points finishes, neither Jack Doohan nor Franco Colapinto have managed to score, with an 11th place finish in Zandvoort the best finish to date.
Unsurprisingly, Gasly assessed his options regarding his future prior to signing an extension until 2028 amid his conviction in the long-term potential that Alpine possesses.
“I think Flavio [Briatore] convinces me going forward and to the potential of the team. And as I said, there are reasons we’re not competitive this year,” he addressed.
“But I think moving forward, and for my targets in Formula 1, it’s definitely the best thing to do for the coming season.
“I fully believe in the team of people we have in Enstone. We’ve got some good new recruits.
“I think in terms of organisation, work processes we have, the team is probably in the best place that I’ve seen”
Along with this, Gasly is also seeing the positives of Alpine’s lowly position in the Championship ahead of F1’s new era in 2026.
Every cloud has a silver lining
While Alpine is set to finish the season last in the standings, Gasly can see the silver lining of propping up the standings heading into 2026.
“On paper we are the team with the most wind tunnel time compared to any other team. So that’s already an advantage which we need to utilise as best as we can,” Gasly said.
“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”.
The hope is that while 2025 is looking to end with a whimper for the Enstone-based squad, the potential of a whole new project for 2026 has spirits remaining high.
With the shutdown of the Renault F1 engine venture and the switch to Mercedes power for 2026, next season begins a new piece of history for Alpine and a huge opportunity to finally become a team that can fight for wins and titles.
On multiple occasions, the French brand has had to abandon ambitious five-year plans to return Alpine to the front of the field and fight for the ultimate prize.
However, Alpine will need much more than the stability from Gasly’s extended deal to provide a prolonged threat at the pointy end of the grid, including greater stability in the team’s management going forward.
READ MORE – Alpine declares Renault ‘wants to stay in F1’ despite disappointing 2025
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