Pierre Gasly, driver for Alpine Formula 1, believes that the team has the necessary capacity to compete with names like McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull during the 2026 season.
After a challenging 2025 season, where Alpine struggled as a backmarker, the Enstone-based team decided to end its engine program and began working with Mercedes power units. This decision has allowed for a notable improvement in performance, and now the team finds itself in a better position in the midfield.
Notable results in Shanghai
In the Australian Grand Prix, Gasly managed to outperform his teammate, Esteban Ocon, by one point, finishing 10th. Later, he had a standout weekend in Shanghai, qualifying seventh and matching the performance of Red Bull drivers. Despite difficulties in the race, such as excessive tire degradation, he finished in a respectable sixth place.
“It’s very encouraging to see that, in some sessions, we can be the fourth fastest. The gap to those ahead of us isn’t too big, so we need to keep working on our performance to try to close in on them,” Gasly stated, revealing that his expectations for this year exceed what they had projected during preseason.
Challenge to Red Bull
Gasly also expressed some confusion regarding Red Bull’s performance, which seems to have declined compared to previous qualifying sessions. “We don’t think we’re at our maximum yet, but we’ve taken a step forward,” he added optimistically.
In the race, Gasly maintained a lead of over five seconds over his teammate Franco Colapinto before the race was neutralized by the safety car. Upon resumption, he lost a position to Oliver Bearman, but felt satisfied with his performance and the improvement compared to the previous season.
Clear objectives
With an eye on the rest of the season, Gasly emphasized that the team is working hard to adjust the car and improve its shortcomings. “Our objective is to create a margin with those behind us and close the gap to those ahead,” he commented with a competitive spirit.
The French driver remains optimistic about what lies ahead, hoping that vehicle improvements will allow them to continue progressing in the drivers’ and the team’s overall standings.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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