Pierre Gasly is the driver Alpine are looking to build around. With the team’s relations with Esteban Ocon deteriorating, Gasly is well-positioned to take the helm at Enstone. However, the Frenchman’s continuation in the team is not guaranteed.
Over the last eighteen months, things have gone from bad to worse for Alpine. Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri and now Esteban Ocon have all left the team. The departure of these drivers is indicative of Alpine’s downward trajectory on track.
The A524 is a car with many weaknesses. With Technical Director Matt Harman resigning just as the season kicked off, Alpine’s expectations for Bruno Famin’s team were never high in 2024.
Their recovery in recent events has been reasonable, though far from what a team with their financial resources should be accomplishing.
Even from a more macro perspective, Gasly has little reason to be encouraged by what he is seeing.
Reports that Alpine are considering abandoning the Renault engine do not bode well for their 2026 expectations. Although Alpine never delivered on its potential, being a manufacturer team always gave the team a sense of legitimacy.
However, things have worsened to such an extent that most customer teams have become more attractive propositions.
Nothing decided yet for Gasly
Because of this, Gasly has no reason to commit himself to Alpine. He touched on his contract situation when speaking to the media:
“My contract situation is quite clear. My contract runs until the end of the year. There are different talks and conversations. Happy where we are at the moment.
“Everything is evolving in the right direction, I don’t have anything to announce right now.
“You guys will have to be patient, but it’s an ongoing process.”
As Kevin Magnussen mentioned in Thursday’s press conference, Carlos Sainz is the ‘cork in the battle’ in the driver market.
The Spaniard will soon announce his future. This will add another piece to the puzzle for 2025 and clarify what options are available for the remaining drivers.
For Pierre Gasly, any alternatives to Alpine will, at the very least, be considered. His non-committal answer is evidence enough that Alpine are no longer a team capable of commanding the same pull in the market it used to have.
In a stark contrast to the consensus of just two years ago, Alpine are not seen as a clear step up from lower midfield teams.
