How seizing every chance – and making it happen – keeps Gasly’s fire burning

Pierre Gasly has experienced the gamut of Formula 1 emotions across his time in the paddock: a promotion to Red Bull after just one full season, a cruel demotion back to Toro Rosso/AlphaTauri after half a season with the ‘big’ team, and his first race win in the 2020 Italian Grand Prix. 

His move to Alpine in 2023 has vacillated in fortunes – two podiums interspersed with having to contend with difficult cars across 2024 and 2025. His racing chops, however, remain razor-sharp; now that Alpine is experiencing a bounce in competitiveness once more, Gasly pulled out a surprise pole at Monza in September, and has been one of this season’s star performers. 

Fittingly, we caught up with him at this year’s sojourn to Sepang – where his F1 journey began in 2017 – to get the lay of the land… 

Let’s get an overview: Alpine has improved quite a lot in terms of performance over 2026 - how has it been so far for you? 

I think overall, looking at where we’re coming from, looking at our 2025 season, obviously being a huge step forward as a team in terms of performance, being able to fight for points quite consistently in the midfield in terms of performance on many occasions this season. 

I must say, I think we’ve been likely unfortunate on some occasions where we’ve left quite a lot of points on the table. We’re sixth in the championship. I think we can run the season another 10 times, and most of the time we’ll be fifth by this point. But I’m still hopeful that we can get that position back before the end of the year.

But as a team, we should be pleased with the step we made forward. It’s still another step to be made to really be entering that top-four battle at the front of the championship in terms of structure, development, processes, execution, definitely seeing a lot of steps and the team stepping up in pretty much all levels. 

The Alpine squad’s upturn in form has allowed Gasly to shine

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

I remember last year going to your media sessions, and you were always positive despite a difficult season… 

Yeah, I mean, we made early sacrifices in 2025, which means you’re going to get a long season. It’s always the same thing when people say you see the light at the end of the tunnel: 2026, new regs, early commitments. We knew it would bring us some dividends, but that was what I was looking at and trying to get me through that long journey and long season in 2025. 

At the same time, it’s also my role as the leader in the team to make sure everybody stays motivated, make sure everybody still gives their absolute best. And I think my point back then, and that’s what I told the team, I said we cannot get laid back because when the car’s going to show up, if we’re not used to performing at 100% and have these high standards and be critical with ourselves and just try to nail absolutely everything, it’s going to be too late.

It’s not when you get the car that you’ve got to switch on. You’ve got to be prepared for it. That’s the sort of approach we took as a team last year. 

This is your fourth year with the team. What’s stood out to you as the thing that’s improved the most in your time at Alpine? 

I would say the foundations. The fact of having more stability over the last two seasons. Really, the sort of trust and belief and at the end of the day, experiences with people makes you create a bond and a relationship that you can really lean on in good and bad moments. But I feel like we’ve been through quite a lot as a team. We’ve always had each other and always showed up for each other. I really feel we’re stronger than ever in terms of collaboration, in terms of moving forward.  

Are we fully satisfied with the absolute performance? No. I think it’s pretty clear the ambition of the team and my ambition is to achieve even more than we do. But as an evolution from where we came last year, I think we’re pleased with the trajectory, pleased with the improvements and satisfied with the step we made. And now it’s important to keep that momentum into next year and try to go and tackle and enter the fight in the top four. 

Briatore is integral to building the team’s foundations, reckons Gasly

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

You mention that stability, because you’ve been through a lot of changes of team principal: did it get to a point where you were like, ‘oh, not again!’? How do you deal with it? 

I’m just like, I’m someone that thinks very much in… I want to be focused on what I can actually impact and these decisions obviously are taken in top management of Renault’s office. That’s not my place to be. My place is to be in the car and give them the best result I can. And obviously every time you go through a new cycle, you’ve got to get to learn the people, understand how they work, create the relationship, create the trust and learn all this to sort of build these new foundations which I just talked about.

And I think now with Flavio [Briatore] in the team for the past few years, now we’re getting these foundations pretty solid and really working on the fine details to really nail the structure. 

Does it feel like it’s settled now? Do you now look at the team and think, ‘how do we close that gap to the big four?’ 

I think it’s pretty clear and there is an honest and very transparent assessment of what we do, what we’ve got to do and the way we’ve got to do it. I think the ambition of the team is clear. Now in the way to achieve it, I think it’s again, the next step is the next level.

We’re talking about Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Mercedes. We’re talking about the best teams in F1 history and obviously to enter that group it needs a level of excellence which is definitely to another level and in terms of technical staff. 

I think we’re definitely getting there. In terms of people, I think it’s very impressive that people are very experienced, very skilful. I do think we have the people to make it happen. The infrastructure is still in development and still improving. That’s one area where I think we can do more and we’re working on it.

Do we have all the tools we need? This is the question for Flavio and the more higher technical staff but I think we’re definitely shaping the team in a much stronger form than what we had when I arrived. 

Surprise 2020 victory at Monza wasn’t just about luck – Gasly grabbed his opportunity with both hands

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Let’s talk about Monza. I believe it was your first pole since GP2. Sitting on the front row, nobody else in front of you, did that come back to you pretty naturally? 

Yeah, I loved it so much. Honestly, it’s simple stuff but just getting out of the car on the grid, just seeing no one in front, there’s just no car. It’s a clear view from there on. That feeling of being in control, I’m someone that needs to have control of things. When you’re in front of the pack, you’re the one leading the pace in the formation lap. You’re in control at that moment and it’s the best position to be in. 

It’s been quite a while for me. I wouldn’t allow myself to have a bad start in that situation. It was very important for me to really nail that start and start from the right foot. 

And maybe there’s pressure in that it’s been such a long time coming? 

I was really happy because I think I’m a very good qualifier. Extracting the pace over one lap with the tyre, absolute performance of the car, I think in my career that’s one area where I’ve been very consistent and very good.

But you’re so dependent on the car performance. Your car is a couple of tenths away from the goal, from the fastest car, even with that excellent lap that would never put me in pole position or in contention for it. 

It’s always nice to get the reward for a very good job that you’ve done; in my career, that reward would be a P3: getting a car in P3 which is not necessarily on paper at that pace, or top of the midfield. I remember a couple of times mixing with the top teams and the feeling of actually getting the pole position, it was easier from all these qualifying sessions I’ve done. I finally get to feel that reward of being on pole and everything that comes with it.  

What was crazy is 12 months before, I remember the qualifying in Monza, it was so painful. Twelve months later, we go back to the same track which used to be pretty painful for us as a team and actually put it on pole. It was not on our bingo card, but a very nice feeling!  

Gasly remarks on how the Alpine team is strongly bonded by experience

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

We’re back to where it all started, at Sepang. What are your memories of this place? 

Yeah, it’s funny because coming in the paddock, I was walking in and it’s crazy how the brain is wired and the sort of memories that sometimes you just see. I’ve just seen these trees and this big alley.

I was like, ‘wow’. I just felt again the feeling I’ve had when I first came in and the excitement, throwing myself into the unknown, starting my dream as an official driver, but not really knowing what was going to happen.

And it just flashed back in my head. It’s very special to be back, especially because it’s not like I’ve had the chance every season to come here. So, it’s very relatable and nine years, everything that happened since that feeling I’ve had coming in. 

In terms of looking back on Pierre Gasly in 2017 compared to now, how do you compare? Is there anything you wish you knew then? 

I would say in the lower formulas, I think when you’re skilled and a prospect for F1, you’re used to fighting at the front of the grid, fighting for pole position, race win, podiums, championships and you’re wired to fight for this position. It’s just normal. You come to a weekend, there’s nothing less that you expect than fighting for the win.

Fresh-faced Frenchman made his debut at Sepang in 2017, and he enjoyed how memories flooded back on F1’s return

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

After finishing F1, that position is very rare. It’s normal to always look at the best outcome and always like you come into every race wanting to win, wanting to be the best, wanting to fight for all these things.  

But the reality is very few of us get this chance to do that in F1. You look at the hundreds of drivers in the last 30, 40 years, how many have actually been in a position to come every single weekend knowing, ‘oh, this weekend I’m actually really here for the win’. It’s very few. And it’s the sort of mindset which for me sometimes to adjust and accept and understand, and getting sort of satisfaction taking the end result out of the question.

I’m not going to lie, still up to today, if the race of my season is to finish P10, it’s not quite the same and you live for these moments like Monza. I’m someone quite emotional but when I get these moments, I live it 100% because this is what drives you.  

Every time I go back home, I’m thinking this weekend might be the chance, might not be the chance, but there’s going to be another race, and eventually I’ll get the chance and I want to make sure I seize it.

I think the story of my career so far is that whenever I had these chances to sit on the podium, they’re quite rare, but any time I had a chance, I actually made it happen. 

This article is one of many in the monthly Autosport magazine. For more premium content, take a look at the November 2026 issue and subscribe today.

Relishing chance to lead from pole position at Monza

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images