While Nico Hulkenberg’s drive to third place at Silverstone last weekend rightly grabbed the headlines it wasn’t the only impressive underdog performance.
For Pierre Gasly and his Alpine Formula 1 team sixth place was a welcome boost after a difficult run in recent weeks.
It might not like sound like much for what is a works organisation, and in the grand scheme of things it didn’t move the team out of P10 in the World Championship, given that all the midfield teams have been scoring well recently.
Nevertheless it was a useful score for a team that had previously logged only a seventh and eighth place in 2025, and in its way given the mediocre form of the A525 it was as unlikely as the remarkable two-three finish in the wet in Brazil last season.
“I think last year the overall performance relative to the others was in a much better place,” said Gasly when I asked him about that comparison.
“So considering the car was in a better place, we were on the podium. It was incredible.
“But this year, I feel we are in a worse place. The others have a better package. And yeah, that P6 is probably as good. So I think we all very happy, especially to do it here in Silverstone.
“I know a lot of guys are here from the factory, and we definitely need that boost, because we all have our eyes on next year.
“But for everybody to work as hard as ever, they also need a bit of extra energy and extra motivation, which I’m sure it will give them today.”
A feature of Gasly’s season this year is that at some tracks he’s been able to make it into Q3. However he’s then faded in the race, mainly due to tyre usage.
At Silverstone he qualified 10th, and then gained two places on the grid thanks to penalties for Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli.
That was already a handy bonus, but more was to come – at the end of the formation lap George Russell and Charles Leclerc peeled into the pits, leaving Gasly in sixth place with a couple of empty spots ahead of him.
At the start he went one better, passing Fernando Alonso to put himself in fifth. Hulkenberg and Stroll got ahead on strategy, and after battling at various times with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, Gasly crossed the line in sixth.
“Honestly, I don’t really know where to start,” he said. “Because P6, at the start of the weekend, no one would have ever imagined that we’ll be in such a position. Fighting Fernando at the start of the race, I managed to get past him, on the wet I was feeling extremely good.
“And right behind Lewis, I eventually managed to get past him as well before the safety car. And battling with Max at the end, who was on pole yesterday. I mean, at some point I wondered what the heck was going on in my race!
“But yeah, we took the risk, but the right one, and all the calls were right, the strategy was great, the pit stops were good, and we made the best out of all these conditions. I managed to defend my position at the right time not to lose track position and too much time.”
Gasly was worried about losing performance after the switch to slicks, although in the end he managed to hang on to a decent result.
“In the dry I knew it will be tough for the reasons we obviously know around this track,” he said.
“And yeah, it was tricky. But I think all in all with evolving conditions, having to look after the tyre, having to push on the wet, on new tyres, on destroyed tyres, I think we really made the best out of these conditions.
“And it wasn’t easy. There were a lot of traps. We managed to avoid all of them, and in the end, it’s pretty much the perfect day for us…”
Good calls helped, but in the end it was Gasly himself who got the job done.
“The whole race every single lap was tricky,” he admitted. “You’ve got to stay on track. But at the same time, these are the moments where you know you have everything to lose, but you have everything to win, because you know the other guys are also going balance this type of risk they are taking.
“But these are the moments where, for me, I know I have a lot to gain and I just need to go for it, and be at the limit without going over that line. And I love this type of conditions.”
It might only be a P6, but the result was welcomed in an Enstone camp that has had little to shout about recently, aside from the recent confirmation that the experienced Steve Nielsen will come on board as managing director in September.
“I’m just very proud of all the team, because this year is very tricky for everyone,” said Gasly.
“We know the car is not in the place we like to be, but every single day we go out there we try our best, and today really showed that we are able to perform and make the best out of the opportunities when they when they come to us, so very proud of them, and very happy.”
Gasly meanwhile continues to show what he’s capable of. For the last couple of years he was in a tense situation with former team mate Esteban Ocon, but this season he’s been a clear team leader alongside rookies Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto. It’s a role that he’s clearly enjoyed.
“I think it’s always difficult to gauge, but I know I’m performing at a very high level with the car that I have at the minute,” je noted last weekend. “And whether it’s my best or not, it’s always tricky. But I know at the moment, there’s nothing else we can get out of it.
“So I managed to do it many times in Q1, Q2 and also in Q3, and then same in the race, so I’m pleased. It’s not the first time I’m facing challenges in my career, and I need to put my best every single time out there and in difficult conditions and motivate all the guys.
“But that’s what I am. I am fighter and a warrior, and I’ll always keep pushing them.”
Adam Cooper F1 