John Watson claims that one-time F1 race winner will never drive for a ‘top four’ team again

John Watson has drawn some doubt over a current driver’s career prospects due to the uncertainty surrounding their team heading into 2025.

Alpine established themselves as arguably ‘the best of the rest’ behind Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari when they took over from Renault in 2021.

The Enstone-based team – who won two drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 2005 and 2006 with Fernando Alonso under the Renault name – finished fifth in their debut season in 2021, with Esteban Ocon scoring Alpine’s first and only win at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alpine went one better in 2022 to secure their best finish in F1 with fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Despite not scoring a podium, the team showed great consistency to beat McLaren by 14 points.

Pierre Gasly joined Alpine from AlphaTauri in 2023 in place of Alonso who made the switch to Aston Martin. Partnering Ocon, the two Frenchmen grabbed one podium each as the team saw a slight dip in performance, finishing sixth in the championship.

But this season, the Enstone-based outfit’s package has taken a huge step back in development as they have struggled towards the back of the grid for much of the year. A sensational double podium at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix has propelled the team to sixth in the standings heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi, but their position is probably not a true reflection of their performance in 2024.

John Watson claims Pierre Gasly will never race for a ‘top four’ team again in F1

Gasly has put in some solid efforts this season in difficult machinery. Reaching Q3 six times this season, the 28-year-old finished third in Sao Paulo behind Ocon and produced a brilliant drive in Qatar to finish fifth.

The Frenchman will be looking to continue this momentum into 2025 with new teammate Jack Doohan who will make his debut in Abu Dhabi after Alpine cut ties with Ocon early.

However, for former F1 driver and commentator Watson, there are question marks over Alpine’s future as he made the claim that Gasly will never race for a ‘top four’ team again.

READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

He told the Drive To Wynn Podcast: “For Pierre, he’s probably one of those drivers, the ship has left port. It’s unlikely in his career [that] he’s going to find himself in, what I would call a top three or a top four team. And that’s a tough reality to have to deal with.

“But if he can do a good job for Alpine. If he could push the fourth of the top four teams in 2025 and take Alpine forward, he’s got a young teammate, he’s going to be racing this weekend anyway.

“I don’t know how strong the balance of Alpine will be in 2025. I mean Pierre’s got the credentials, but it’s a question of whether the team can do a better job in conjunction with getting the Mercedes power unit.”

Can Alpine improve their fortunes with Mercedes engines in 2026?

The 2025 season will mark the final year Alpine will operate as a factory team, as for 2026, the team will enter a partnership with Mercedes as a customer team after shutting down their factory in Viry-Chatillon.

Alpine will effectively be swapping places with Aston Martin in 2026, who will ditch Mercedes engines to enter into a partnership with Honda – who will be leaving Red Bull that season.

READ MORE: Everything we know about Alpine’s Mercedes power unit deal after scrapping their works engine division

The decision to move away from supplying their own power units has led many to question whether Alpine have made the right decision.

Team principal Oliver Oakes says Mercedes’ success in regulation changes was the crucial reason why they chose to enter a partnership with the German manufacturer. Mercedes had incredible success during the turbo hybrid era, winning seven drivers’ tirles and eight constructors’ championships from 2014-2021,

Mercedes’ power units are expected to be competitive in 2026, which hints that Alpine have in fact made the right call for the new technical regulations. Whether Gasly and Doohan can perform in the meantime is another question.