Pierre Gasly issues bold directive for Alpine ahead of the 2025 F1 season

Pierre Gasly had made a bold claim that he would put down all of Alpine's budget for the 2026 season rather than spend any of it on the 2025 car. The Frenchman claimed the team should focus on cracking the new regulations that will come into action from next year.

Pierre Gasly joined the Alpine F1 Team in 2023, making a move away from the Red Bull family that he had been racing for throughout his F1 career. Over the two seasons he has spent with the French team, Gasly has been unable to fight for meaningful results consistently due to the team's struggles on and off the track.

Fellow Frenchman and once Alpine's star man, Esteban Ocon, has also left the team after 2024, and Gasly is now joined by rookie Jack Doohan. Even though the last couple of years have been a struggle, the French team started to show some promise during the final stretch of the 2024 season, including an unexpected 2nd and 3rd-placed finish in Brazil.

Speaking to the media before the F1 75 Live event in London, the 29-year-old shared that if it was up to him, he would spend Alpine's whole budget on the 2026 challenger. He said:

"If it was down to me, all the budget would be on 2026, but I am not in control of the budget. If that is good or bad, I don't know but I don't care being 8th, 9th or 10th, I want to win, I want to finish on the podium and I know it is not going to be easy to make [the gap] up this year." [via f1i.com]

"But I know in 2026, we're starting with the same weapons as other teams and it is up to us to deliver the best car possible. It doesn't change as a driver, every single time you get in the car, I want the fastest package I can get, so it doesn't change the mindset for 2025, but bigger picture, I know there is a lot more to gain in '26 than I'll be able to fight for in '25," he added.

Pierre Gasly joined Alpine after reaching a saturation point with Red Bull, realizing that he would not be getting promoted to the senior team again. He instead chose to bet on Alpine's promise of returning to the top of F1, but his gamble has not yet paid off.

But with a positive end to the 2024 season, the arrival of Oliver Oakes, and the return of Flavio Briatore, Gasly believes that Alpine are now finally headed in the right direction.

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Pierre Gasly claims new-look Alpine management is pushing the team in the right direction

Oliver Oakes, Jack Doohan, and Pierre Gasly unveil the new Alpine livery - F1 75 Live - Source: Getty

Pierre Gasly has expressed that the arrivals of Oliver Oakes and Flavio Briatore have changed the mood within the Alpine team. He has shared his belief that the team is now headed in the right direction under new leadership.

During the F1 75 Live press conference, the Frenchman was asked about the recent shakeup within the team, including the arrival of Oakes and the return of Briatore to the Renault group. He expressed his feelings about stability within the team, saying:

"I think having a bit of stability, I definitely don’t mind it because since I arrived it’s been a bit rocky and unstable. I’m very pleased since Oli [Oakes] and Flav [Briatore] joined the team. You can clearly see the mindset and the spirit of the team is heading in the right direction." [via f1i.com]

Pierre Gasly went on to claim that he has experienced unprecedented evolution at Alpine and that he, Oakes, and Briatore are tough competitors who are all in F1 to win.

With Gasly also claiming that Alpine's budgets for 2025 are already set, it remains to be seen if the French team take a step forward in the upcoming season, or focus their resources on 2026 as per their driver's wishes.