Pierre Gasly has highlighted that the upcoming improvements Alpine will introduce at the Dutch Grand Prix are “essential” to maintain the team’s competitiveness in most of Formula 1, as they have been outpaced in development by rivals this season.
The French team started the 2026 campaign as the main force in the midfield, occupying fifth place after the sixth race in Monaco, where Gasly achieved a controversial podium. However, in the last five races, they have lost position and now find themselves five points behind Racing Bulls, after failing to introduce upgrades since the Miami race.
Other teams, such as Audi, have been accumulating points after the recent competitions, and lately, Aston Martin made a leap with significant updates, reaching Q2 for the first time this year. In light of this, Alpine hopes that the updates announced for Zandvoort, from August 21 to 23, will counteract this negative trend.
Managing director Steve Nielsen has revealed that the improvements will include “some significant aerodynamic parts”. Gasly expressed his confidence that these changes will help the team, but he recognizes that it is crucial to maintain a good pace if they want to continue competing for fifth place in the championship.
A return to improvements is more urgent than ever, given that the new regulations have proven to be a challenge for Alpine in the past. Indeed, their performance has declined over the past seasons, and the team wants to avoid this trend repeating. Additionally, Gasly experienced a couple of races without points in the recent competition in Hungary, underscoring the urgent need for improvements in the A526.
The French driver commented that this is not the situation he wants to be in, recalling that in the last races he has struggled to finish between 12th and 13th, far from Racing Bulls and Audi. He acknowledged that the car does not allow him to drive with the necessary confidence and that there are several aspects to address.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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