Pierre Gasly has teased that the fortunes of the beleaguered Alpine Formula 1 team may be about to take a significant turn for the better after a nadir in 2025.
Alpine suffered the worst year in its 45 year history under its various guises, finishing a distant tenth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Q1 eliminations became frequent, with Alpine deciding to cut off development of the A525 early to focus on its 2026 car ahead of upcoming technical regulation changes.
Gasly and team-mate Franco Colapinto suffered an undignified end to the last season, trundling around at the back and finishing a lap down on the leaders.
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix also marked the end of Renault’s time in F1, as Alpine moves to Mercedes power for 2026.
Gasly acknowledges the team’s decline, but indicates that this season may be the year Alpine metaphorically turns the corner.
“We know that we are clearly not at the level that we all want to be at,” he said to Rolling Stone.
“But we also know something big is coming for the coming season.
“We’re on a big low, but we’re hoping to bounce back to get as high as possible for 2026.
‘Inner belief’ crucial for Pierre Gasly
As he and the team prepare for the next chapter in Alpine’s history, Pierre Gasly spoke of his unwavering inner belief, working with the team to spearhead the turnaround.
“I really believe in ourselves as a team, and I want to be the one to put us back on top.”
“It’s quite tough, because I’ve got to keep the team up and I’ve got to keep the spirit up,” he said.
“I need to make sure that the 100 guys that work at the track and also the 1,500 people that are back at the factory, are all motivated and know that we are in a position to fight for the front of the grid.”
“I think what was more difficult for me was to see the people I care about, that made huge sacrifices to get me to where I am today, being affected by this negativity that I was surrounded with,” he said.
“At the end of the day, that’s just the life of an athlete and stuff I have to accept, but I was more bothered that it would affect my parents and my brothers, which wasn’t fair.”
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