Pierre Gasly has reflected on what he has described as a ‘frustrating’ afternoon for Alpine during the F1 Canadian GP. This comes after the departure of Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo, announced last Sunday.
In what has been a difficult season so far for the French team, the Canadian GP was no different. Both Franco Colapinto and Gasly finished out of the points in 13th and 15th respectively.
“It was quite a frustrating afternoon,” said Gasly. “Starting from the pitlane, we knew it was going to be tricky.
“I think the strategy was fine, everything we did was okay, but ultimately we were just struggling down the straight, struggling with race ability, and we were not fast enough down the straight to be able to get past the other cars.”
Gasly expressed that Alpine’s race results seem to be affected less so by strategy or pace, but more so by the car’s simple inability to defend and attack against rivals.
“I think we had some pace, we just got stuck behind Lawson from 14th each lap, and lost too much time down there,” he said. “Unfortunately when we are in the DRS, I still get overtaken and I can’t pass, so on a day like today, it’s really making our life quite tricky.”
“We know coming here with the package we have, it’s not going to be easy. It was the case, and starting from the pitlane, I think everything we tried was actually good. Even though we were faster on one lap, it doesn’t mean that we can defend or attack properly.”
Gasly “very sad” about de Meo departure
Alpine’s rocky position became even more precarious when it was revealed that Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo would be stepping away from his role in a shock announcement last Sunday.
De Meo was responsible for many of Alpine’s most controversial decisions, including the future switch to Mercedes powertrains in 2026 to save money and the appointment of Flavio Briatore as executive advisor in 2024, 16 years after the Crashgate scandal. Many have considered de Meo’s cost-saving approach to clash with the significant investment it requires to succeed in F1.
Naturally, the move has put the future of Alpine into question. However, Gasly has held his cards close to his chest, stating that he needs to gather more information about what it means for the team.
“First of all, I need to have all the information,” he said. “I obviously have a very good relationship with Luca, he’s the one that took me in the team, and I think he’s a very inspiring person, so obviously the first reaction is that I’m very sad to see him leave.
“I’m sure he’s got some good reasons. I think at the end for us as a team, even though not everything is great at the moment, there’s still a lot of positive [things] happening at the factory, and for me it’s important that we keep that momentum going into 2026, because the picture and the performance could be very different, and we need to keep that in mind.”
Gasly: Alpine must “stick together” in the long run following major changes
What the future will be for Alpine isn’t exactly clear, but Renault did state that it has already “initiated the process of appointing a new Chief Executive Officer”. And with de Meo as his staunch supporter, the appointment of a new CEO could put Briatore’s role of team principal at risk.
Gasly asserted the importance of sitting down with his team and discussing what it will mean going forward.
“Obviously I need to sit down with management and understand a bit more what it means for the team,” he said, “but at the end of the day we all have our job, we all have our role, and we all need to focus on what we’ve got to do, and do it best, but for sure I’m going to sit down with everyone, I’ve just got to know it after the race.”
De Meo’s management of Alpine F1 Team was a tumultuous one, with regular chopping and changing of significant members of the team. When asked if the erratic environment of the past 12 months has caused a lack of focus within the team, Gasly responded with sympathy.
“I understand that, it’s completely normal, it’s completely human to feel that. I think it’s important for all of us to stick as a team, and stick together in these types of moments, and rely on each other, and just trust the long game.”
