F1 | Gasly defends Alpine: changing concept “was the right choice”

Despite Alpine’s free fall in performance this year, Pierre Gasly understands and supports the technical choice that was made to completely renew the concept of the car. Fourth in the constructors’ championship in 2022, the Enstone team slipped to sixth place last year, the year in which the French driver arrived to partner compatriot Esteban Ocon.

Before embarking on a major technical reorganisation in recent months, Alpine chose not to further develop the core ideas of the A523 in an attempt to break new ground that offered greater development potential with the A524.

The mid-season results were a complete failure, with both drivers scoring just 11 points and currently sitting eighth in the Constructors’ Championship. However, Pierre Gasly continues to believe that the decision taken at the time was justified.

“I think it has to do with performance and unfortunately last year the team felt they had reached the end of the development of the car concept,” he explains. “Having not achieved our goals, they asked themselves if we wanted to sit back for another year, knowing that they would probably be stuck where they were last year.”

“And they said, ‘We want more, so we’ll try something else.’ I think it was the right choice. We’re not in Formula 1 to settle for sixth in the constructors’ championship.”

Alpine’s hopes were dashed and, for the moment, Haas’ seventh place seems an illusion to reach. However, Pierre Gasly is counting on the work done in Enstone and the margin of improvement to do better in the coming months and, above all, to have a more solid base for 2025.

“Unfortunately, the direction they took with the concept we have this year has not paid off, but I still think the way the team works is at a better level than when I arrived,” says the Frenchman.

“So it’s about finding the performance, which is obviously not easy, but I know we already have a good direction for next season, which will put us in a better position. By solving that, with the processes, the people and what they’ve built and continued to work on, I feel like something good will come out of it.”