In a season of struggles for Alpine, Pierre Gasly delivered a much-needed breakthrough performance at the 2025 British Grand Prix, securing a remarkable sixth-place finish that left the Frenchman overjoyed.
Amid the unpredictable and changing conditions at Silverstone, Gasly’s drive was a perfect blend of bold strategy, clinical execution, and tireless determination.
Meanwhile, his teammate Franco Colapinto faced heartbreak, sidelined by a mechanical issue before the race even began.
Gasly’s weekend hadn’t hinted at a competitive showing after consecutive subdued performances in free practice, although he managed to hustle his car into qualifying’s top ten shootout.
Still, few expected the 28-year-old to mount a serious charge come race day. But with rain showers sweeping across the circuit on Sunday, chaos loomed — and Gasly thrived in it.
A key moment came at the start, when the Alpine charger opted to remain on intermediate tyres despite some rivals gambling on slicks at the end of the formation Lap. That decision paid off handsomely as the track remained damp, allowing him to make up ground early and settle into the top 10.
“I don’t really know what to say, it’s our best result of the year and to do it here at Silverstone in these conditions is just incredible,” Gasly said after the race.
“It was so much fun, I enjoyed so much this race from the first lap to the last one. Battling with Fernando [Alonso], with Lewis [Hamilton], with Max [Verstappen], it just felt a bit unreal at times to be in that position. Especially knowing where we started the weekend.”
Gasly credited Alpine’s risk-taking approach for the turnaround.
“We know in these conditions you have to take the risk and we don’t really have anything to lose, we knew it would be a struggle to stay in the top 10 and we took the right risk, pushed to the limit and it paid off.
“I’m glad to see whenever we have a chance, we show up and we take our chances.”
His efforts were capped off with a superb final lap move on Lance Stroll to claim P6 – Alpine’s best result of the season and a vital morale boost for the Enstone-based squad.
While Gasly was all smiles, his teammate Franco Colapinto endured another frustrating setback. The Argentine driver, who joined Alpine mid-season as a replacement for Jack Doohan, was forced to retire before completing a single racing lap.
Having already been set to start from the pit lane following a crash in qualifying and a subsequent engine component change, Colapinto pitted at the end of the formation lap for slicks – a strategic gamble – only to suffer a driveline issue that left him stranded in the pit box.
“I was really looking forward to today's race, so it was disappointing not to be able to get out there and try to make up for the result yesterday in conditions that opened up a lot of opportunities,” Colapinto explained.
“It was not clear what the issue was at the time, which took some time to investigate during the race. All I know is that I could not pull away from the box. We tried a few things to get going again, but in the end, we had to retire the car.
“As a racer, days like today are when you want to be out there and, as we have seen from the others starting further back, there were possibilities to make big gains today.”
Overall, Alpine will take heart from Gasly’s performance – a timely reminder that when opportunity knocks, the Frenchman still knows how to answer.
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