The Alpine Formula 1 team caught the paddock somewhat by surprise when on Saturday morning it confirmed that Pierre Gasly is now committed to stay on board until the end of 2028.
While such security makes sense for both parties it was perhaps unexpected given the uncertainties over the competitiveness of everyone’s package in 2026 and beyond.
It could be argued that Gasly might have wanted the freedom to move elsewhere if the new Alpine-Mercedes combination isn’t good enough, while on the other hand if the team does make a huge step it potentially becomes attractive to top class drivers who haven’t been so lucky with their current teams.
Of course in the latter instance Alpine still has another seat that has yet to be filled for 2026, never mind beyond that.
For Gasly the new deal makes complete sense despite the team’s poor form in 2025, the last year with its own power unit.
“I think obviously my side, I didn’t have much to rush,” he said when I asked him about it. “I think Flavio kind of convinced me going forward to the potential of the team. There are reasons why we’re not competitive this year.
“I fully backed the team at the start of the year, once they decided to stop the development very early on compared to other teams, which obviously is a bit painful right now.
“But I think moving forward, and for my let’s say targets in F1, it’s definitely the best thing to do for the coming season.
“I fully believe in the team of people we have in Enstone. We’ve got some good new recruits. I think in terms of organisation, work processes we have, the team is probably in the best place that I’ve seen.
“And everything we know is not working on this year’s car is a conscious decision not to change it to maximise our chances from next season.”
Gasly obviously considered his options: “Of course I did. I mean, it’s just a normal stuff to do. It’s not like it was a no-brainer looking at the performance at the start of the year. So there is some thinking behind it, but honestly, I believe this is a very strong option. I’ve just got to wait and display some good performance from next season.”
So where could he have gone in say, 2027 or ‘28? One could speculate that the departure of Christian Horner – a man known to not be as fan – opened up the possibility for an eventual return to Red Bull in a post-Verstappen era.
However relying on that happening a year or two down the line would have been a big gamble.
It’s also worth noting that Gasly shares his management with Isack Hadjar, and thus he would have a pretty good insight into what’s going on there, and is perhaps aware that even with no Horner it’s not going to happen.
The length of the deal is a vote of confidence in both directions.
“I think it’s good to have some clarity and show my commitment on both hands,” said Gasly.
“From the team towards me and me towards the team, and with a group of people that I’m working with and feeling in a much better place than I was when I arrived. So I think it’s very clear. I think it can only be positive for everyone in the team.
He added: “That’s also one of the reasons we decided to do it now. I think we’ve got all the ingredients in the team to actually deliver a competitive car from next year’s on, but people have got to believe in it, same as when you drive, if you have the belief you’re going to make it, you always get those last couple of hundredths and extra performance out of it.
“And 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.”
And one of those ingredients is the presence of new boss Steve Nielsen, returning to Enstone after spending time with other teams and both the FIA and F1 organisations. Monza is his first weekend back in the camp.
“I think Steve is an amazing addition to the team,” said Gasly. “So if you start looking at the people we’ve got inside the team, a lot of experience, a lot of people that have been around for a long time, and also been successful in F1.
“So honestly, I think the team is shaping up very strongly. So very happy. I’m still getting to know him, but I think he’s going to be a very good guy for the whole team.”
Adam Cooper F1 