While the Formula 1 midfield remains a ruthless, unforgiving shark tank, Pierre Gasly is riding a wave of flawless execution with Alpine, one that the Frenchman hopes will continue to unfold in 2026.
Following another stellar top-ten finish in Spain, the Frenchman and his team solidly lead the sport’s midfield battle as they continue to capitalize on every opportunity thrown their way.
In Barcelona last time out, after battling nagging brake issues, Gasly coolly navigated his way to seventh place, making the most of a timely Virtual Safety Car.
Overall, it’s the kind of form that has the one-time Grand Prix winner feeling like the universe is on his side.
"All the stars seem to align for us," Gasly smiled, reflecting on the team's current momentum.
A wave of consistency but searching for more speed
Gasly acknowledged that Alpine’s ability to keep delivering results has been one of the team’s biggest strengths, with reliability proving almost flawless throughout the campaign.
Asked whether the team’s current run reflected a high level of performance behind the scenes, Gasly highlighted the importance of simply being present when opportunities arise.
“At the minute, I think we are doing – in terms of reliability, everything has been perfect since the start of the year. Touch wood, it is going to continue like that, and we are kind of capitalising on the retirements of other cars.
“But we’ve got to put ourselves on top of that midfield to make sure that we get the most out of it, and so far, that is what we have been doing the last couple of weekends. So I think the team can be pleased.
“On the flipside, I think the gap to the cars ahead has actually grown over the last few weekends, and we’ve definitely got to find a way to bring more performance, because at the moment, we’re just too far away from these guys.”
While Gasly is delighted with Alpine’s progress, he knows the team cannot rely solely on consistency forever. The next step is closing the performance gap to the frontrunners and turning regular points finishes into even bigger results.
Keeping the momentum alive
Attention now turns to the Austrian Grand Prix, where Gasly expects Alpine to be in a stronger position after his struggles with braking issues in Barcelona.
However, he is aware that the midfield fight remains fiercely competitive, with rivals such as Racing Bulls and Audi showing flashes of strong pace.
Reflecting on the challenge ahead, Gasly explained why he believes Alpine has been able to stay ahead despite facing serious competition.
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“Looking at Barcelona, I was really not confident in the way I felt in the car all weekend, so I think we should be in a better place,” he argued.
“Looking at the last – definitely in quali, RB was impressive, Audi seems to be good for a few weekends. Somehow, it is not clicking in the race.
“It’s not easy, but we just seem to do a slightly better job than them on Sundays. I think so far, we have managed to score points on every round. I’m hoping to continue that streak in Austria.”
For Gasly, the mission is clear: keep the momentum alive, maintain Alpine’s impressive reliability record and continue extracting every possible result.
After years of fighting for breakthroughs, the French driver is finally enjoying a season where things are falling into place. And as long as the stars keep aligning, Alpine’s surprise charge shows no signs of slowing down.
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