Gasly ready to work hard in 2026 but not setting any expectations

Pierre Gasly enters his tenth season in Formula 1 and his fourth with Alpine, carrying a mix of experience, optimism, and a pragmatic mindset.

After scoring 100% of Alpine’s points in 2025 and reaching Q3 ten times over the course of the year, the Frenchman knows what it takes to extract performance from the car.

Gasly goes into 2026 energized by the sport’s sweeping technical changes, as Alpine embraces a new era of regulations with the A526. The team has already devoted months to simulator work and development, aiming to deliver a package capable of keeping pace with the competition.

While hope is high, Gasly is clear that patience and learning will be key in the early stages of the season.
For the veteran driver, the focus is on day-to-day progress rather than lofty targets.

“I am not setting myself any expectations,” he stated on the day of Alpine’s A526 livery launch.

“It will be a case of working really hard with the team to understand areas to improve and we will take it day by day and just try to be as competitive as we can throughout the year.”

Embracing the Unknown

Gasly insists he’s energized by the prospect of tackling the unknown.

“This is the first time in my career where the entire car has had such significant changes,” he said.

“Of course, everyone heads into this unknown territory, but, as a driver, I find that so exciting. This has been a long road for the team to reach this point.

“We have been working hard on the simulator over the past year in preparation for these new regulations and I know everyone at Enstone has worked extremely hard to develop the best possible package.

“What we see in the first few weeks of the year, beginning with the shakedown next week, will be interesting but this is not the final product as we will continue to learn and develop the entire package each time we're on track.

“Of course, I am excited and optimistic, but very much realistic in my ambitions. Right now, my feeling is of immense pride that the team has reached all its milestones in preparing the A526.”

• Read also: Alpine unveils 2026 livery ahead of crucial F1 season

With a clear-eyed approach and a willingness to embrace every challenge, Gasly is poised to lead Alpine through what promises to be a defining season under Formula 1’s new regulations.

His mantra is simple: hard work first, results will follow.

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