Pierre Gasly signs on for more Alpine — and asks the factory to believe
Pierre Gasly has doubled down on Alpine. The Frenchman has signed a new multi-year deal that runs through the end of 2028, locking himself in as the team’s long-term leader just as Enstone braces for the 2026 regulation reset and a switch to customer Mercedes power.
It wasn’t an automatic “yes.” Gasly admitted he shopped the market before committing. And who could blame him? Alpine are propping up the Constructors’ standings this season, with Gasly the sole scorer of their 20 points so far — a bruising reality for a works operation that expected better.
“Of course I looked,” he said after the ink dried, making clear this wasn’t a sentimental decision. “It wasn’t a no-brainer given how we started the year. But I believe this is a very strong option. Now we’ve got to deliver from next season.”
That belief piece is central to how Gasly sees Alpine’s path out of the weeds. He talks about ingredients a lot — facilities, people, ideas — and insists the cupboard is fuller than the results suggest. What’s missing, in his view, is conviction.
“We’ve got all the ingredients to deliver a competitive car from next year on,” he said. “People have got to believe in it. When you truly think you’re going to make it, you find those last few hundredths. That’s the only thing we’re missing.”
Gasly arrived in 2023 and, after a bumpy bedding-in period, he’s grown into the voice of the project. This extension formalizes that status. It also gives Alpine something they’ve lacked since rebranding: continuity. The team has had enough upheaval — leadership turnover, technical reshuffles, direction changes — to fill a Netflix season. Keeping a proven, motivated driver in the seat through 2028 offers a spine to build around as the sport resets in 2026.
That reset is the other pillar of Gasly’s bet. New chassis and power unit rules will blow up the competitive order again, and Alpine will trade their works badge for a customer arrangement with Mercedes. There’s no hard evidence yet that Brackley’s next power unit will set the pace, but the paddock has a hunch. Even if the engine isn’t the class of the field, a reliable, efficient unit paired with a clean-sheet car gives Alpine a far clearer target than they’ve had in years.
For Gasly, the short-term message is pragmatic: clarity breeds performance. “It’s good to have commitment on both sides,” he said. “It’s a positive for everyone to know where we’re going and who’s going to drive it there.”
The longer-term read is more nuanced. Gasly’s faith buys Alpine time — and applies pressure. A long contract in a struggling team can look like loyalty or a hostage situation depending on how quickly the next car shows its teeth. Alpine’s 2025 tally tells its own story; there have been flashes, but not enough of them, and too often from one side of the garage. If Enstone and Viry (soon, at least on engines, to be ex-Viry) convert their “ingredients” into a coherent, forgiving platform, Gasly’s choice will look shrewd. If not, he’ll be carrying a heavy rebuild on his shoulders.
Either way, the terms are clear now. Gasly’s in. He explored his options, chose this one, and put a date on the bet: next year needs to look different. Confidence, he says, is worth tenths. Alpine’s task is to give him a car that lets belief turn into lap time — and points that aren’t so lonely on the score sheet.
