Pierre Gasly is smiling a lot more these days. Over six months ago, pundits were scratching their heads when the 30-year-old Frenchman inked a contract extension to stay with Alpine until 2028.
At the time, the Enstone-based squad was mired in an enduring slump, finishing the 2025 season at the very bottom of the standings. But fast forward to today, and the "most improved team" on the grid is silencing the skeptics – and Gasly is savoring every moment of the resurgence.
For a driver whose journey in Formula 1 has been an emotional rollercoaster, Gasly has developed a skin thick enough to weather any storm.
After a grueling 2025 where he scored every single one of the team’s 22 points, Alpine’s transformation to fighting for fifth in F1’s Constructors' championship feels like a breath of fresh air.
The perception and the reality behind closed doors
While the public perception last year was one of a team in decline, Gasly insists that the internal reality told a different story. The team made the bold, strategic choice to pivot early toward the current regulations, effectively sacrificing 2025 for a competitive future.
“I think there's been some bad press about the team and the state in which we were last year, for good reasons, because we clearly didn't perform well," Gasly told RACER in Miami.
"But behind closed doors, we knew exactly what we were doing, and we kind of agreed and accepted to draw a line on the previous regulation and focus on this one."
Pierre Gasly pictured here during the Sprint event in Sao Paulo in 2025.
That long-term vision is now yielding tangible results. Despite a freak accident in Miami where he was flipped by Liam Lawson, Gasly’s season has been defined by consistency and a car that finally matches his ambition.
“We knew the changes we were making inside the factory, and from my point of view, I could definitely see a positive change," he explained.
"Obviously, it didn't affect the performance of last year, so people potentially could think that we're not evolving, we're not improving. But behind closed doors there were definitely a lot of green flags, and good signs of the potential that we could get out of ourselves."
Leading the charge to the front
Now 30, Gasly has evolved into a formidable team leader whose maturity and command of the cockpit are greatly appreciated by Alpine chief Flavio Briatore, who doesn’t easily hand out praise.
For Gasly, this role is about more than just status; it’s about having the influence necessary to drive the engineering direction.
“Naturally I want to be someone that needs to have control," he said. "I need to lead my people, I need to be heard. And I need to get things in the way that just works well with my team. I don't like to leave anything to the unknown, so I like to be involved."
While he embraces the responsibility, he remains laser-focused on the ultimate prize: speed.
“And it's a position I enjoy because I just know I can get the best out of myself and the setup and the environment when I get given that sort of role and leadership,” he added.
“Yes, 30 is a number. You see Fernando is still a team leader at 45 years old. At the end of the day, even though that's an important role to me, I still want the fastest car I can underneath me, and that's what I expect from Alpine.”
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The enjoyment factor, Gasly admits, is night and day compared to the frustrations of the previous season. The thrill of the hunt has returned.
“[This year is] so much more enjoyable,” Gasly says. “It's difficult to describe. Obviously, that's what got me through last year in a way, and pushed me through the season, knowing that on paper we definitely had more exciting and much more potential coming in 2026.
“I'm still trying to pull my team as much as I can, and be at the standard that I expect myself to be at in terms of putting the best performance I can every single session, every single lap.
“But you don't find the same enjoyment putting good laps in and being in 15th or the middle of the pack, not fighting for points.”
A return to the winner's circle?
With the gap to the frontrunners shrinking, Gasly believes the momentum is firmly on Alpine's side. While they aren't title contenders just yet, the foundation is being laid for a return to the winner’s circle.
“I still want more than what we're doing. I still want to be able to fight the frontrunners,” he said.
“They are not miles away, but we're just not quite there at the moment to be in the fight, or be in the mix. I think we're missing a couple of tenths, but I do believe that if we keep pushing, we keep the momentum we're having, it's not impossible that we could join the cars in front of us.”
The goal remains the world championship, a target Gasly believes is achievable within the lifespan of his current contract.
“That's the goal," he concludes. "This year, obviously no [it’s not the target], but I've seen a very positive step forward, a positive change in the structure, in the processes, and we're definitely getting more out of it.
“Right now, do we have everything we need to fight for a world championship? No, we still need some improvements in a couple of areas.
“But I think we have all the tools needed to actually be fighting up the front and get even more out than we do at the moment. I think that's very promising. We're very excited for the coming years.
“Again, I don't think it's impossible that we end up in that position, but we still have work to do.”
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