Alpine driver Pierre Gasly is once again the clear team leader within his Formula 1 team ahead of the 2025 season.
Pierre Gasly has had a fascinating career up to this point and is one of 10 race winners on the grid at the beginning of this year.
Gasly started life as a Red Bull junior and after a short stint with Toro Rosso, was promoted alongside Max Verstappen after his first full season in the sport.
That stint lasted just 12 races before he was replaced by Alex Albon and after helping Yuki Tsunoda develop at AlphaTauri, at the end of the 2022 season, he made the switch to Alpine.
However, he managed to secure his first victory of his career before departing at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, a feat he’s yet to match again thus far.
Gasly joined Esteban Ocon at Alpine in 2023 with the team appearing to be on the rise, however, they fell from fourth to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship that year.
Alpine matched that finish last year, but that was largely aided by an unexpected double podium at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Gasly impressed Jolyon Palmer at the end of 2024 with his performances and is considered one of the best drivers in the midfield.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Gasly has explained why he’s already looking forward to next season and what he’s seen at Alpine’s factory that’s already left him very impressed.
Pierre Gasly impressed by Alpine behind the scenes ahead of the 2025 F1 season
Gasly was asked how he sees this year going for Alpine and said: “Last year was a pretty big challenge for the team, like mentally from the start of the year, which was very poor.
“But, I’ve been very proud of how the team has managed to turn things around.
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“The end of the year was actually pretty impressive considering where we started.
“So, there is a great momentum, a lot of motivation, great team spirit and I see a lot of improvements inside the team which I hope we’ll be able to display on track.”
Gasly is right to say that momentum is in Alpine’s favour based on the last few races of 2024.
The Frenchman scored points in four of the last five races and only a retirement at the Las Vegas Grand Prix – where he qualified third – denied him a perfect end to the season.
Alpine have decision to make on Pierre Gasly’s teammate amid Jack Doohan uncertainty
Alpine chiefs Oliver Oakes and Flavio Briatore will be hoping that Gasly can continue his strong form into 2025 as they will have a much closer eye on his new teammate Jack Doohan.
Doohan was brought in to replace Ocon at the last race of the 2024 season but appears to already be under pressure.
Alpine have offered Doohan a short-term contract and used the winter break to bolster their selection of reserve and development drivers to keep the Australian on his toes.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Franco Colapinto is the highest-profile driver waiting in the wings at Alpine, although Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Gabriele Mini are also potential options.
Gasly is the benchmark for Doohan and if he can finish within several positions of the Frenchman then his seat should be safe.
Judging by what the one-time race winner is saying, Alpine should be more competitive than they were at the beginning of last year, meaning there’s very little margin for error for Doohan before he’s potentially replaced.
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