Pierre Gasly left qualifying at the F1 Italian GP in Monza fully aware of Alpine’s current limitations but confident about the team’s long-term project. The Frenchman, who recently committed to a three-year extension, said the team’s decision to prioritise 2026 development explains its lack of competitiveness this season.
Backing Alpine’s long-term vision
Pierre Gasly admitted he knows more than most about Alpine’s upcoming direction, particularly under advisor Flavio Briatore.
Speaking after his disappointing qualifying session the Frenchman said, “Yeah, I mean, I sure know more things than you do about the coming seasons and I think obviously my side didn’t have much to rush. I think Flavio kind of convinced me going forward to the potential of the team.”
He made it clear that he stands behind the project, even though Alpine sacrificed short-term results. “As I said, there are reasons why we’re not competing this year. I fully backed the team at the start of the year once they decided to stop the development very early on compared to other teams, which obviously is a bit painful right now.”
Pierre Gasly accepted the pain of 2025 but framed it as an investment. “But I think moving forward and for my targets in Formula 1 is definitely the best thing to do for the coming season.”
He praised the team’s structure and improvements at Enstone, highlighting the people already in place. “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.”
According to Gasly, Alpine made conscious choices not to address every weakness this year. “And yeah, everything we know is not working on this year’s car is my conscious decision not to change it to maximise our chances from next season on.”
A difficult qualifying in Monza is short-term pain for long-term gains
He linked the 2025 reality back to Alpine’s long-term vision. “Exactly, that’s also one of the reasons we decided to do it now. I think we got all the ingredients in the team to actually deliver a competitive car from next year on.”
The Frenchman pointed out how belief fuels performance.
“But people got to believe in it. Same as when you drive, if you have the belief you’re going to make it, you always get those last couple of hundreds and extra performance out of it. I would say that’s probably the only thing we miss because we got all the other ingredients to actually deliver a very strong race car from next year on.”
When pressed for more detail, he opted for humour instead. “I could. But yeah, I’ve just had water today so I’ll probably keep my mouth shut for now.”
Praise for new arrivals
Pierre Gasly praised the arrival of Steve Nielsen as Alpine’s new team principal. “Yeah, I think Steve is an amazing addition to the team. If you start looking at the people we’ve got inside the team, a lot of experience, a lot of people that have been around for a long time and also been successful in Formula 1.”
He said Nielsen already strengthens the team’s culture and direction. “Honestly, I think the team is shaping up very strongly. So yeah, very happy. I’m still getting to know him but I think he’s going to be a very good guy for the whole team.”
Gasly also spoke about strategy, explaining Alpine’s current limitations. “Performance-wise, I’m sure he’s going to be very open. If we do the same as the others we’re going to finish in the same position as we are. At the moment that’s what we’re going to try.”
He explained the team experimented in Zandvoort and will continue exploring. “Last weekend we tried different stuff. We’re trying to cover all different scenarios. One’s going to be slightly happier than the other but moving forward that’s what we’re going to do for the team.”
But he admitted Alpine can’t afford to gamble. “We won’t have the performance to really mess about with these type of decisions.”
Looking ahead with perspective
Gasly knows the challenges don’t stop with Monza. “Yeah. But I know it’s been months so it’s not like I’m surprised. Something I accept and Barcelona is going to be tough, Singapore is going to be tough. I know it’s going to be difficult until the end of the year.”
He insisted the team won’t give up, despite closing the book on 2025.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re giving up. We’re still fighting and trying but just being aware that there’s no need for any frustration to build up because we’re going to close the book at the end of the year and open a new one next week.”
Gasly underlined how much clarity matters to him and the squad. “I think it’s always good. I think it’s good to have some clarity and show my commitment on both ends from the team towards me and me towards the team and with the group of people that I’m working with I’m feeling in a much better place than I was when I arrived.”
He sees that shared commitment as a major positive. “I think it’s very clear. I think it can only be positive for everyone on the team.”
Finally, Gasly admitted he weighed other opportunities before committing.
“No, of course I did. It’s just the normal stuff to do. It’s not like it was a no-brainer looking at the performance at the start of the year. There is some thinking behind it but honestly I believe this is a very strong option. Just got to wait and display some good performance from next season.”
Despite Monza frustration, Gasly keeps faith in Alpine’s long-term rebuild. He believes that when 2026 regulations arrive, the foundations now being laid will pay off. The Frenchman sits 14th in the driver’s standings on 20 points after the F1 Italian GP, 8 points behind fellow countryman Esteban Ocon.
