Pierre Gasly has revealed how he is adapting to the role of being the de facto team leader at Alpine since the start of this year’s Formula 1 season.
The Frenchman has been, by default, made the number one driver at the Enstone-based squad, with former team-mate Esteban Ocon departing to rivals Haas.
Gasly was initially paired with Jack Doohan, but the Australian rookie was replaced from the start of the European leg by Franco Colapinto.
Alpine has struggled to maintain its status as one of the leading midfield teams, currently languishing at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship.
All of its 20 points have been scored by Gasly, who has produced a number of underrated performances this year in the underwhelming A525.
In an interview with RacingNews365, Gasly explained how he is tackling the newfound role, and is happy to have the influence over the team.
“Yeah, I think it’s being more aware of… many things,” he said. “I’ve always had the speed.
“Then, you need the consistency, you need the team to work; [you] need to work for the team, but then the team to work for you.
“And by both having this type of mentality, you get more out of the team and get more out of yourself, the package, etc.
“So, yeah, I must say, I’m pleased I have more responsibilities in the team, more leadership.
“Obviously, with Jack and Franco, it puts more weight on myself, which I like, and also the team, we’re all driving in the direction which suits me to just perform and get the best out of the car.”
Gasly reaffirms belief in long-term Alpine ‘project’
Gasly arrived at Alpine with the team seemingly centred around Ocon, which led to questions as to why he would choose to vacate his seat at Red Bull’s sister team.
But with increased focus appearing to be shifting towards Gasly, which has been even more apparent since Ocon’s exit, he has built a strong relationship with Alpine.
“I must say, I’m happy [with] the way I work with the team,” he expressed.
“I’m very competitive, and regardless of the performance of the car, you can say it’s frustrating at times, because, obviously, I’m not in F1 to fight for some P15s or 10th place.
“But, at the end of the day, I’m with the team for a longer project. I believe in the project. I know where we’re heading, I know we are making a lot of good changes.
“And, fortunately, that’s just a step on the way, which is not the most pleasant, but I’m sure we’ll come out stronger as a team.”
Gasly recently stated he would take being last for every remaining race this year “every day of the week”, provided it would mean Alpine has a car for 2026 that can seriously challenge.
The 29-year-old reiterated the team’s stance that it is realigning its aims from what has been a tricky year, and is confident in what it is building for next year.
“A lot of the stuff we are building, questioning in what we’re doing, changing, I’m sure, will pay dividends in the future,” he concluded.
“Now we have the car we’ve had since Barcelona. We can’t expect to suddenly make a miracle with where we are, and we knew it when we decided to have this strategy for ’26.”
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