Pierre Gasly is clocking in early for 2026.
After a bruising campaign that left Alpine marooned at the wrong end of the order, the Frenchman says he’ll be one of the hardest-working drivers over the winter — and he’s not hiding the reason: the reset that arrives with F1’s new regulations in 2026.
“You can be sure I’m going to be one of the drivers that’s going to put the most work in,” Gasly said, reflecting on a season he plainly didn’t enjoy. “After the season I’ve had, I’m more eager than ever to bounce back next year.”
Alpine’s year was defined less by upgrades and more by triage. The team effectively de-emphasised 2025 to pivot early toward 2026, banking on the sport’s wholesale technical overhaul and a fresh power-unit supply to pull them out of a rut. It was a blunt strategy in public view — and, at times, painful — but internally they’ve been consistent: short-term pain for a shot at a big step when the reset kicks in.
Gasly has doubled down on that bet. He signed fresh terms in the autumn, the kind of move that only makes sense if you believe the people back at Enstone are about to turn the corner. “We get to the bottom of these reasons, we know why,” he said of the current struggles. “We know the strategic reasons we’ve made this year, which are costly for the performance of this year, but I think from next year onwards, I fully believe the team will be able to give me a car to compete at the front.”
That’s bullish, but not blind. Gasly knows the heavy lifting now sits with Alpine’s design office and correlation teams; a driver can wring a tenth out of preparation, not a second. His winter plan, though, is the full stack: hours in the simulator, relentless physical work, and a lot of time with engineers to shape the 2026 car’s early DNA. If you’re going to climb, start by eliminating excuses.
There are reasons to think Alpine could be more than a midfield repaint. Sitting low in the standings brings a bigger aerodynamic testing allowance under F1’s sliding-scale rules, and they’ll have used that to push 2026 concepts earlier than rivals locked in fights up front. A new power-unit partnership adds another variable — and potentially, a lifeline — as the sport heads into a different engine era. If they land the package, the narrative flips quickly.
Of course, that “if” is carrying a lot. This is Formula 1: the stopwatch is unforgiving, and so are off-season promises. But Gasly’s tone isn’t empty theatre; it’s a small window into a team that knowingly took its medicine and is now itching for payback.
“I know the whole team has worked extremely hard this year, making all these sacrifices for the benefits we can have for next year,” he said. “I’ll be as prepared as a driver can be.”
Alpine doesn’t need miracles in 2026. It needs a car that responds, a power unit that’s tidy in the corners and punchy off them, and a driver who can convert medium days into big points. Gasly’s betting he can be that driver. The rest is on Enstone — and we won’t have to wait long to see whether all that early focus makes the reset worth it.
