Alpine switched off 2025 F1 car development “months ago”

Pierre Gasly has revealed Alpine switched off development of their 2025 F1 car “months ago” in order to focus on next season’s regulation change.

Alpine have endued a woeful 2025 season and sit well adrift at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, with the team’s performance steadily fading as the year has gone on.

Gasly has scored all 20 of Alpine’s points this campaign but has not registered a top-10 finish since the Belgian Grand Prix in July.

“We are well aware of the situation we are in and nevertheless we give it our best,” Gasly said ahead of this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix - the first of four remaining races this season.

“This is the type of track where the weather can come into play. We’ve seen pretty wild races around here. We know definitely seem to have taken a step back in terms of performance. We’ve seen cars like Haas bringing upgrades, even in Austin.

“We stopped developing the car months ago. But it’s okay. We know we have another four race weekends where we will try and after we will be onto a different project.”

Asked if he wished Alpine had continued developing their A525 car, Gasly replied: “If it gives me better results next year, I literally do not care about this season and it will be all worth it.

“The reality of what we could have fought for this year, it is still not good enough for us and this couple of weeks or months can potentially give us a head start on some other teams and bring much better success, which is what we are seeking ultimately.

“So I am fully backing the team in what we did. It’s a bit drastic but sometimes to achieve greatness you’ve got to make these tough choices.”

Alpine hope to capitalise on F1’s major regulation overhaul for 2026 to transform their competitiveness and move closer to the front of the grid.

The French squad will use Mercedes engines from next season after Renault’s decision to end their own power unit programme at the end of 2025.

“I’m very excited,” Gasly added. “I’m kind of in between two chairs at the minute because obviously this year is extremely hard for everyone in the team and we are not competitive at all for reasons we know and decisions we’ve taken tactically.

“But at the same time we still have four races to go and hopefully these decisions can be proven to be definitely worth it in 2026 and that’s what I believe. I’m seeing a lot of good stuff for next year’s car, a lot of work, a lot of motivation. But it’s definitely been a bit of a long season.”

Gasly on keeping Alpine spirits high

Gasly underlined his belief in Alpine’s project by committing his future to the team with a contract extension until the end of the 2028 season.

The 29-year-old, who won the 2020 Italian Grand Prix, has scored two podiums since joining Alpine in 2023.

“I think the most important thing on my side is to keep the motivation up inside the team for all of the troops,” he said. 

“At the end of the day, they are as disappointed, because everybody put their heart out there, worked crazy hours, travelled the world, to give us the possibility to race with the best possible equipment that we can have.

“I need to see more globally about the 1500 people that we have working at the track, but also working back at the factory, especially knowing that we are onto something much bigger for 2026.

"It doesn’t take anything away from me trying to put my best in the car every single time I’m in it. Do I enjoy it as much? No. But I am also aware of the project that I am working for and also what’s coming in the coming years.

“So I am not loosing sight of the big picture and that’s why for me it’s important to be the main factor and motivation for every single individual in the team.” 

Alpine are yet to decide on Gasly's teammate for 2026, though Franco Colapinto looks increasingly likely to be retained.