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Pierre Gasly has committed his long-term future to Alpine’s Formula 1 team, after signing a new deal that will keep him at the squad until the end of 2028.
The Frenchman joined the French manufacturer at the start of 2023 but has endured some frustrating times, with the team not delivering the race wins and repeated podiums hoped for.
His best results for the squad have been two third places – which he took at the rain-impacted Dutch Grand Prix in 2023 and last year’s likewise weather-affected Brazilian Grand Prix.
However, hopes are high that a proper step forward can be made for the new rules era from 2026, with Alpine ditching its Renault works engines in favour of Mercedes customer units.
Gasly’s current deal, which was signed in the middle of last year, was understood to have run until the end of 2026, but it has been announced that he will stay on for at least another two years.
This comes with Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore being convinced that Gasly is the right driver to help “lead” the squad – as well as the team receiving long-term commitment from new Renault CEO Francois Provost.
Speaking about his new deal, Gasly said: “Since I joined in 2023, I have always felt that this team is the right place to be for the future.
"Flavio's [Briatore] support and belief in me, François' [Provost] commitment to the F1 project, as well as the people we have in Enstone made this a natural decision and I want to be here in years to come and deliver on our joint objective: to win races and world championships. We're all in this together and I look forward to continuing this special story.”
Team leader
Briatore had, on joining Alpine, initially been unsure about just how good Gasly could be amid the team's struggles to produce a fast car.
During a press conference appearance earlier this year, the Italian said that it was hard to judge Gasly's potential until he had something competitive beneath him.
"It's very difficult to understand what level is Gasly in the moment, if you don't give him the competitive car,” he said.
“Let's build him the competitive car and after we know where we are in the driver.”
The hoped-for "competitive car" hasn't arrived yet - but Gasly's form continued to be impressive ever since he stepped clear of Esteban Ocon over the second half of 2024.
He proved too good for new team-mate Jack Doohan to get close enough to him in the opening races of this season.
Doohan’s replacement Franco Colapinto has also found it hard to get close to Gasly – and has yet to score any points.
While Alpine is currently last in the constructors’ championship, the 20 points that it has picked up so far this season are all down to Gasly.
Briatore said at Monza that he felt that Gasly was the perfect driver to head Alpine’s F1 push.
“We're well prepared for the new era of F1, beginning in 2026, and now we have our lead driver confirmed to bring us well into the future,” he said.
“Pierre has been an immense asset for the team during this challenging period. I have been very impressed with his attitude, dedication and talent and we look forward to continuing this project together for a long time.”
While Gasly’s future is now sorted, the identity of Alpine’s second driver for next season remains very open.
Colapinto still has a chance of retaining his seat but will need to deliver better results, with Doohan is still hoping for another chance. Paul Aron has also put himself in the frame after an impressive run in FP1 in Monza.
