Alpine Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly was quizzed on Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo’s shock exit from his role, one he had held for five years.
Renault announced on Sunday that de Meo’s resignation had been accepted and he will officially leave the role on 15 July. De Meo stated in the announcement, “There comes a time in one’s life when one knows the job is done.
“Today, the results speak for themselves: they are the best in our history. We have a strong team and an agile organisation. We also have a strategic plan ready for the next generation of products.
“That is why I have decided it is time for me to hand over the baton. I am leaving a transformed company, poised for the future, to apply my experience to other sectors and embark on new adventures.”
Addressing the news following his 15th-place finish in the Canadian Grand Prix, Gasly said he was sad to see de Meo leave the F1 team’s parent company.
“First of all, I think I need to have all the information. I have a very good relationship with Luca, he was the one that took me into the team, and I think he’s a very inspiring person. So obviously, first reaction is that I’m very sad to see him leave.
“I’m sure he’s got some good reasons, and I think at the end, for us as a team – even though not everything is great at the moment – there’s still a lot of positives happening at the factory. And for me, it’s important that we keep that momentum going into ’26, because the picture and the performance could be very different. And we need to keep that in mind.”
Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
“Yes, I need to sit down with management and understand a bit more on what it means for the team, etc,” the French driver explained when asked if this could destabilise the team.
“But at the end of the day, we all have our job, we all have our role, and we all need to focus on what we’ve got to do, and do it best. But, for sure I need to sit down with everyone.”
Alpine has seen a lot of change over the last few seasons. After Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane’s exits in July 2023 as team principal and sporting director, respectively, Bruno Famin temporarily assumed the role of team chief. A year later, the team signed Oliver Oakes as team principal and Flavio Briatore as executive advisor.
Following the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, Oakes abruptly stepped down from the role of team principal. It is now expected that Steve Nielsen will return to the team to assume the role.
Discussing if it can be difficult for the team to focus amidst all of the off-track changes, Gasly added, “I understand that. It’s completely normal, it’s completely human to feel that. And I think it’s important for all of us to stick as a team and stick together in these types of moments. And, you know, rely on each other and just trust the long game.”
