Why sticking with Alpine is the right call for Gasly

Pierre Gasly has extended his stay with the Alpine Formula 1 team on a multi-year deal, meaning he will enter the new regulation cycle with the team.

Gasly joined Alpine ahead of the 2023 F1 season and has mixed fortunes as the team’s competitiveness has ebbed and flowed.

His best result since joining the team was third at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.

Gasly’s 2024 F1 season hasn’t got off to the best start either, with Alpine starting the year with the slowest car. But the team have been making gains over the last few months and Gasly has gone on to score points in the last three races.

It was widely expected that Gasly would remain with the team for 2025, especially since Alpine had already confirmed that Esteban Ocon would be leaving the outfit at the end of the season. But this new deal provides additional stability for both Alpine and Gasly as F1 enters a new regulation cycle in 2026.

Speaking about the contract extension, Gasly said: “I feel very much at home at this great team. I enjoy being a real part of both the Formula 1 project and the wider Alpine Cars vision. 

“I’ve been officially here for over 18 months and it has always been the plan to build a long-term project with the team. 

“While on-track it’s been a challenging season so far, I remain faithful to the project and I am not going anywhere. I am happy with the changes made, the hard work, and the direction the team is taking. 

“There is a lot of potential in this team’s personnel and resources. I’m excited for what is to come in the future and right now I’m focusing on the everyday details that we are putting in to improve our performances.”

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin added: “The extension of Pierre’s contract with the team is very pleasing. 

“He is a driver with huge experience in Formula 1 and continues to show huge amounts of potential on-track. 

“For Alpine as a brand, he is a great ambassador and we therefore look forward to continuing our collaboration. While this is important for our future, we do have to keep our eyes close to what is coming and that is focusing on improving our current package.”

Alpine is still yet to announce who Gasly’s team-mate will be for the 2025 F1 season, and Famin stated that the team will not be in a rush to make a decision.

“We have high ambitions this current season and we will work tirelessly to achieve those things. 

“We will take our time in deciding Pierre’s team-mate and we are excited with the options we have on the table.”

Why Alpine was always going to be Gasly’s best bet

Given the seats available for 2025, staying at Alpine was always going to be the best decision for Gasly to make. 

Alpine may have had a tricky start to 2024, but it is now starting to hit its stride and its upgrades have been working. 

Last time out at the Spanish Grand Prix both Alpines made it into Q3 in qualifying, proving just how far it has come since it locked out the back row for the first race of the year.

Gasly’s only other serious options would have been Haas, Sauber (soon to become Audi) or Williams. And as it stands, Alpine is currently doing a better job than any of those three teams.

And with Ocon leaving at the end of the year, one of Gasly’s issues is about to be solved. It’s no secret the two of them haven’t got one during their time racing alongside each other, and this will have helped ease concerns for next year and beyond.

But this isn’t the only benefit to come from Ocon leaving. It will also mean that Gasly will have an advantage over any new team-mate coming in, giving him a better chance of becoming Alpine’s team leader for next season.

That will have no doubt played a part in his thinking, and with a multi-year deal, it shows real commitment from both parties to make it work.

Who could Gasly’s team-mate be?

Alpine has plenty of candidates to choose from when deciding who should partner Gasly next year.

And it’s all going to come down to what it wants from its pairing. But the current frontrunner is Carlos Sainz. 

Sainz looked set to decide between Williams and Sauber for next season, but with Flavio Briatore being brought in to Alpine as an advisor last week, that stance seems to have changed.

Alpine has now made a solid attempt at trying to persuade the Ferrari driver to join its ranks for 2025 and it’s understood that he is giving the offer serious consideration, especially since it currently has a faster car than Sauber and Williams.

But if the Sainz deal doesn’t come off then there’s a few drivers waiting in the wings.

One of those is Alpine junior driver Jack Doohan. Doohan has impressed in his practice outings with Alpine and appears to be a serious contender for the seat.

So does Valtteri Bottas, who’s contract with Sauber is still up in the air for next year

One outsider being considered is Mick Schumacher. Alpine has confirmed he will be testing an older Alpine F1 car, but this is primarily to help him with his World Endurance Championship campaign with Alpine’s hypercar team.

But while he does have experience, having raced with Haas for two seasons, he would have to be considered a real long shot bet to take the final seat.

Gasly isn't the only driver to have had his F1 contract extended on Wednesday either. Lance Stroll has also confirmed that he has extended his stay at Aston Martin into 2025 and beyond, although this was entirely expected given the fact his father, Lawrence Stroll owns the team.