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Alpine boss Flavio Briatore highlighted Pierre Gasly's importance in the team and for the development of their future car, claiming that his experience and intellect help them develop. He also mentioned that driver talent "will not be enough" in 2026.
Gasly moved to the French outfit in the 2023 F1 season and has stayed since. Moreover, he was recently given a contract extension, guaranteeing him a place with Alpine till at least the 2028 season. But considering the team's performance this season, many have termed this a questionable choice.
However, Briatore is rather confident in Gasly. He explained that securing him for the future was the team's priority, considering his expertise in car setups and experience behind the wheel.
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"Priority number one was to extend Pierre Gasly's contract until 2028," Briatore told AmUS). "We managed to do that. Pierre is an immensely important asset for us at a time that is not easy. Give him a car he trusts, and he is as fast as the best."
"I am impressed by his talent, his commitment, and his attitude. He knows what he wants from the car, he is intelligent and has a lot of experience."
Furthermore, Briatore mentioned that driver talent won't be enough to be competitive in the 2026 season owing to the new regulations. He explained that there would be immense focus on how drivers conserve energy.
"I am impressed by his talent, his commitment, and his attitude. He knows what he wants from the car, he is intelligent and has a lot of experience."
However, there is still a mountain of challenges ahead for the 29-year-old driver. Alpine's performance has been on a decline this season as they sit at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship with just 20 points in their bag.
Pierre Gasly confident of Alpine delivering a strong car in the future
Although Alpine has reeled in and out of consistency in recent years, Pierre Gasly is quite confident with the team working under Flavio Briatore. The team struggles to score points in the current season; however, the Frenchman revealed that the team would be able to deliver a much more competitive car in the coming seasons, as they have all the "ingredients" they need to develop.
"I think we got all the ingredients in the team to actually deliver a competitive car from next years on. People have got to believe in it," Pierre Gasly said (via GPBlog). "Same as when you drive, if you have the belief you're going to make it you always get those last couple of hundreds and extra performance out of it."
"I would say that's probably the only thing we miss, because we've got all the other ingredients to actually deliver a very strong race car from next season," he added.
Alpine is currently the only team using Renault engines on the grid, which have proven to be uncompetitive and unreliable in recent seasons. However, that is set to change, as they have signed a deal with Mercedes to supply their power units, which could help them improve performance next season.
