Why Pierre Gasly tied his F1 future to Alpine

There is a quote, popularly misattributed to Albert Einstein, that the definition of insanity is to repeat an unsuccessful course of action in the expectation of a different outcome.

So you might wonder why Pierre Gasly, a grand prix winner who remains demonstrably competitive, would tie himself into a three-year contract extension with a team which has gone through innumerable management reshuffles and struggled to field a competitive car for almost a decade.

There are two distinct strands to the answer, the first and most obvious one being that there was no other competitive seat available: McLaren and Ferrari are spoken for, as is Mercedes (bar the signing of contracts). The mere thought of Red Bull must stir ghastly memories. In the immediate slipstream of this cluster, the likes of Williams and Sauber are also fixed for the near future.

But there are reasons for optimism, even though this season started off middlingly and then got worse, largely as a consequence of Alpine's early pivot to 2026 development. The technical group is now stable under ex-Ferrari engineer David Sanchez, who arrived last year, Flavio Briatore has an iron grip on management, and parent company Renault has reaffirmed its commitment to the F1 project.

"Of course I did [look elsewhere]," said Gasly after last weekend's Italian Grand Prix. "It's just the normal stuff to do. It's not like it was a no-brainer looking at the performance at the start of the year. There is some thinking behind it.

"But honestly I believe this is a very strong option. Just got to wait and display some good performance from next season.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images

"I think it's good to have some clarity and show my commitment on both ends. From the team towards me and me towards the team.
 
"And with the group of people that I'm working with, I'm feeling in a much better place than I was when I arrived. So I think it's very clear. I think it [the contract extension] can only be positive for everyone on the team."

It's nearly 10 years since Renault returned to F1 as a team owner as well as an engine supplier, in a rush-purchase brokered by F1 ‘ringmaster' Bernie Ecclestone. Renault had owned the Enstone-based organisation before, and twice won the constructors' championship with it, but the enterprise had been run down under the wretched custodianship of Genii Capital and its leader Gerard Lopez – currently president of the French football clubs Boavista and Bordeaux, whose fortunes have slid similarly.

Not only had there been no investment in maintaining cutting-edge facilities, many of the most talented engineers had grown weary of wondering if their next pay packet would come through, and sought employment elsewhere. The challenge of rebuilding the team and its infrastructure was then magnified by corporate bungling at Renault, and a consistent failure to understand the timescales required to succeed in F1.

The revolving door of senior management over the past five seasons did little to diminish the impression of a team in permanent crisis, though some form of stability has now set in under the admittedly polarising figure of Briatore.

Old hand Steve Nielsen, who spent a decade at the team before becoming one of many to depart during the Genii era, has now returned as managing director and took up his post ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Flavio Briatore, Executive Advisor, Alpine

Photo by: Bryn Lennon / Formula 1 / Getty Images

It's understood that Gasly bought in to the principle of sacrificing 2025 development for the '26 project early on, and is happy with the direction of travel behind the scenes, including the arrival of a new driver-in-loop simulator.

Another potential gain for 2026 comes in the form of a Mercedes power unit, since Briatore took the controversial decision to shutter F1 development at Renault's Viry-Chatillon facility. Word in the paddock is that Mercedes' project, as with the introduction of the hybrid powertrains in 2014, is the most advanced. Thus Alpine is likely to get an immediate performance uplift.

"Obviously, my side, I didn't have to rush," said Gasly. "I think Flavio convinces me going forward and to the potential of the team. And as I said, there are reasons we're not competitive this year.

"I fully backed the team at the start of the year once they decided to stop the development very early on compared to other teams, which obviously is a bit painful right now. But I think moving forward, and for my targets in Formula 1, it's definitely the best thing to do for the coming season.

"I fully believe in the team of people we have in Enstone. We've got some good new recruits. I think in terms of organisation, work processes we have, the team is probably in the best place that I've seen.

"Everything we know is not working on this year's car is a conscious decision not to change it to maximise our chances from next season on."