Gasly rues P6 slip to Verstappen, but celebrates Alpine's revival

Pierre Gasly rued his last-lap defeat to Max Verstappen that cost him a sixth-place finish in the Bahrain Grand Prix but insisted the battle underscored Alpine’s strong performance over the weekend.

Starting from an impressive P4 on the grid, Gasly held his own in the top 10 throughout the 57-lap race, showcasing the A525’s newfound pace.

For much of the closing stages, he fended off a charging Verstappen, whose Red Bull was grappling with its own issues. Lap after lap, Gasly kept the three-time champion at bay, only for his tyres to give out in the final moments, allowing the Dutchman to snatch P6 on the race’s ultimate tour.

The sting of the loss was fresh when Gasly spoke to the media moments after climbing out of his car, but the Frenchman was quick to underscore how his performance offered his team, not only its first points of the season, but also a beacon of hope after a challenging start to its 2025 campaign.

“At the moment it’s right after the race and it’s really annoying when you lose a place in the last lap, after just giving so much, like the last 20 laps trying to keep Max behind,” Gasly said.

“It was a lot of pressure – it was barely out of the DRS, then after he just got in and I was keeping him just at bay for many laps but just ran out of tyre in the last few laps.

“It was just so close to the finish line but unfortunately couldn’t quite make it.”

Alpine’s Competitive Edge Shines

Despite the late heartbreak, Gasly refused to let it overshadow Alpine’s standout weekend. The Enstone squad, which had struggled to score points in Japan just a week earlier, delivered a performance that saw them go toe-to-toe with Red Bull.

For Gasly, this was a testament to the team’s potential.

“I think it just shows how good of a weekend we had when we are fighting these guys,” he noted. “Looking at last week, we were struggling a lot, couldn’t make it to the points, Max was winning, and this weekend we actually were competitive and fighting him until the last lap.”

Gasly credited the team’s execution for their success, highlighting flawless strategy and pit stops that kept him in contention.

“[I’m] very happy for the team to score those first points – very good strategy, good pit stops and the car was competitive, so hopefully we can build up on that,” he said.

The result marked a stark contrast to Alpine’s earlier races, where consistency had eluded them, and offered a foundation to build upon.

Optimism for Future Tracks

Gasly’s performance in Bahrain echoed Alpine’s strong showing during winter testing at the same circuit, raising questions about whether their pace was track-specific or a sign of broader progress. The 29-year-old was cautiously optimistic however, drawing parallels between their pre-season form and Sunday’s result.

“[In the] winter test we were very competitive, which actually got our expectations quite a lot higher than we’ve been able to achieve in the first few weekends,” he explained.

“It’s good to confirm that – coming back in Bahrain – that the car definitely works now.”

©Alpine

Looking ahead, Gasly expressed confidence that Alpine could replicate their Bahrain form elsewhere, though he acknowledged the work still needed to unlock the car’s full potential.

“I think it’s important to get those answers and understanding [of] why here the car’s so good,” he added.

“I do believe we’re going to be able to reproduce this sort of performance on some other tracks, but there’s clearly a lot of understanding to go through over the next few weeks.”

With their car showing genuine pace and the team’s operations firing on all cylinders, Gasly left Sakhir with renewed belief that Alpine could challenge the midfield – and perhaps beyond – in the races to come.

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