AUSTIN, Texas — A year ago in Austin, Alpine embarked on a special journey.
The Enstone-based Formula 1 team was mired at the back of the grid, struggling to just book a spot in Q3, let alone score points. They arrived in Austin sitting ninth in the Constructors’ Championship standings with just 13 points.
Alpine brought an upgrade package to the 2024 United States Grand Prix, one that saw Pierre Gasly storm into Q3 and start the main event in seventh. While points were not on offer that Sunday afternoon, there was hope for Alpine.
Gasly finished tenth in the Mexico City Grand Prix the following week, and then the team had their big breakthrough, a double podium from Gasly and Esteban Ocon at the São Paulo Grand Prix that catapulted them up the standings, where they eventually finished sixth.
There will be no such move up the standings this year, as Alpine has already turned its focus to 2026 and the incoming set of regulation changes. As the grid arrived in Austin, the team is stuck at the back of the pack, with Gasly’s 20 points the only points scored by the team this season.
But Gasly’s optimism about the team, and their shared future, is stronger than ever.
“I’m just very realistic about the situation we are in. I think I’ve had a fair few months to, you know, be in the right place about it and just be focusing on the stuff I can control and trying to deliver the best of myself for the team, and same the other way,” said Gasly to the media, including SB Nation, on Thursday. “So I think objectively, I think what I care the most about is this feeling that we’re getting everything out of the package we have.
“That hasn’t been the case in the last three weekends and we worked really hard with the team and we figured things out on my car on stuff that wasn’t working properly, so I think for me the main focus is to make sure that these last six races, you know, the standards at which we work are as high as they need to be, and get ready for next year.”
As for next season, Gasly believes that the team has the pieces — and the people — in place to take advantage of what he described as a great opportunity.
“I have high expectations for the team; they know it,” started Gasly. “I think I’m very optimistic for the right reasons.
“The people we have. A lot of belief in all the changes we are making. It’s quite a big change for us also, switching power-unit manufacturer. (Alpine is becoming a Mercedes customer team for next season) All the processes we are changing, the people that we have at the factory, the new people coming in, there’s just something that seems to come together,” continued Gasly.
The driver also pointed to the rules and how finishing last in the Constructors’ Championship means more wind tunnel time next season.
“Unfortunately, the position we are in today gives us an advantage in terms of wind tunnel time for next year,” added the Alpine driver. “So on paper, when you look at the situation we are in, we are in an advantageous position against our rivals, and I do believe the team can make the best of it.”
Gasly then outlined how Alpine’s last major upgrade came at the Spanish Grand Prix at the start of June, and since then, the team has shifted their focus to 2026.
So while they know what’s holding the A525 back, the answers will come with its successor, the A526.
“We haven’t worked around these things which degraded the performance. So I think we figured out the package. We know what’s limiting. We know what we would like to change, but it’s not worth doing it this year,” described Gasly.
”But I think everything, all the sort of limitations we have, we have a way of improving it for next year that I fully believe will make things better. And as you said, I mean, it’s not like we’re missing two seconds when you look in qualifying, the whole field is separated by eight-tenths.
”I know where these eight-tenths are in terms of what we have in the car, and I know the fixes we have are the sort of vision of the team and what they want to change.
”I know we cover a good amount of the performance we’re lacking, so that’s why I’m quite optimistic because we know the issues, we know what we’d like to do to fix them.
“Would it fix all of it? Question mark. Would it make it better? 100%, and that’s why I think going into next year I’m quite hopeful that everything we’re doing is going to put us, should put us in a very decent position.”
While Gasly is focused on that brighter future, he admitted that while this season has not been “fun,” even with the struggles with the A525 on its slowest day, it is still a Formula 1 car.
And he’ll drive it any day of the week.
“I mean, the car is slow or something, but it’s a Formula One car. Still massive downforce, fastest car on the planet. You still get enjoyment out of driving even if you’re not winning.
“I’ll do it every single day if I could, so I think the enjoyment behind the wheel is there.”
And in his mind, the better days are coming.
