Pierre Gasly backs Alpine’s “drastic” long-term F1…

Pierre Gasly has explained he’s been trying to be “the main factor in motivation” amid Alpine’s current struggles, as his Formula 1 team has ‘drastically’ focused its efforts on 2026.

Alpine has been enduring the worst form in its history, including its Toleman, Benetton, Renault and Lotus eras; its best result over the past five grands prix was Gasly’s 15th-place finish in Mexico. Every other team has scored at least nine points over that period.

Alpine’s downturn in form, after Gasly scored 20 points before the summer break, is down to the team focusing on F1’s new technical regulations for 2026, which provide a potential opportunity to jump to the front of the field; the budget cap and aerodynamic testing restrictions mean Alpine has introduced little to no upgrades onto its current machinery since the Spanish Grand Prix on 1 June.

Asked if Alpine’s A525 was going to be more competitive at Interlagos, Gasly replied: “I don’t think so. But we’re well aware of the situation we are in.

“We definitely seem to have taken a step back in terms of performance. We’ve seen cars like Haas, for example, bringing upgrades, even in Austin, when we stopped developing the car months ago – but it’s OK. We know we have another four race weekends where we’ll try, and then after that we’ll be onto a different project.

“I’m very excited. I’m kind of in between two chairs at the minute because obviously this year is extremely hard for everyone in the team, and we are not competitive at all – for reasons we know and decisions we’ve taken tactically.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine (Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images)

“If it gives me better results next year, I literally do not care about this season – and it will be all worth it. Because the reality is what we could have fought for this year is still not good enough for us. And these couple of weeks or months can potentially give us a head start on some other teams and bring much better success, which is what we are seeking, ultimately.

“So, yeah, fully backing the team in what we did. It’s a bit drastic, but sometimes to achieve greatness, you’ve got to make tough choices.”

Still, keeping morale up has admittedly been difficult in those circumstances, but Gasly has been striving to, embracing his role as a team leader even more after signing a new contract until the 2028 season.

“The way I see it is, I think the most important thing, on my side, is to keep the motivation up inside the team for all the troops,” Gasly added. “Because at the end of the day, as much frustration as I can build from not being able to bring points back to the guys on a season like we have, they are as disappointed because everybody puts their heart out there – work crazy hours, travel the world – to give us the possibility to race with the best possible equipment that we can have.

“And at the end of the day, I need to really see more globally – about the 1,500 people that we are, working at the track but also back at the factory – and especially knowing that we’re onto something much bigger for 2026.

“So it doesn’t take anything away from me trying to put my best in the car every single time I’m in. Do I enjoy it as much? No. But I’m also aware of the project that I’m working for and also what’s coming in the coming years. So I’m not losing sight of the big picture. And that’s why for me, it’s important to be the main factor in motivation for every single individual we have in the team.”