Alpine Surprise
15 points collected in three races and an eighth place in the drivers’ standings are the calling card of Pierre Gasly in a 2026 that started under the best auspices for Alpine, after the farewell to Renault engines and the transition to the long-awaited Mercedes power unit. Between Melbourne, Shanghai and Suzuka, the French driver has collected almost three-quarters of the points of the entire past season, when he finished in 18th place with only 22 points in the standings. And that the A526 is a whole other world compared to the cars that preceded it is also demonstrated by the sarcastic gesture of Max Verstappen who, overtaken by his former teammate during the last Japanese GP, even raised his hand in greeting, aware that he would no longer have the momentum to return to the attack on Gasly.
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Pierre Gasly thinks big
In short, a start to the season as an unexpected fourth force on the grid for Alpine, even if the standings place the French team in fifth place behind Haas and level on points with Red Bull. Not that this is Pierre Gasly’s ultimate goal, who instead after the Suzuka race enthusiastically commented on his “midfield victory” (he was the first of the drivers not from Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren) raising the bar in view of the next outings on the calendar.
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“I am very happy with the fact that our car – he explains, revealing the desire to compete even higher in F1 – is performing on all types of circuits, it is something that gives me a great boost in terms of confidence. At Suzuka I was about three or four tenths a lap from Lewis Hamilton, but Ferrari is our next goal. We must do everything in our power to succeed in reaching them”. “At the moment, of course, the gap is still too wide to be seriously involved in the fight for the podium, but after the summer break I would very much like to see Alpine in the same group as McLaren and Ferrari”, concludes Pierre Gasly.
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