Pierre Gasly ‘just wants to win’ in Alpine fortune change hopes

Pierre Gasly was bullish in his hopes for the F1 2026 season, saying that, at this time in his career, “I just want to win” – and he hopes Alpine produces a car capable of doing so.

Gasly will start his 10th season in Formula 1 in 2026, and despite Alpine having finished bottom of the 2025 Constructors’ standings, the team opted to switch full focus to its 2026 challenger early in the hope of making up ground.

Pierre Gasly: ‘I just care about being fast’ in new Alpine

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Alpine will be unveiling the livery of its new car, the A526, on Friday 23 January, ahead of the first pre-season shakedown test in Barcelona three days later.

Now aged 29 and holding a contract with Alpine for the next three seasons, Gasly is heading into his peak years as a Formula 1 driver and wants nothing more than to add more winners’ trophies to his tally after an emotional victory at Monza in 2020.

Alpine is switching to using a customer power unit from Mercedes in the new season, and Gasly spoke of the work he is doing behind the scenes to try and hit the ground running in 2026.

Having mostly driven midfield machinery after his short stint at Red Bull early in his career, he hopes the A526 can bring his talent to the fore.

“I just care about being fast,” Gasly said towards the end of 2025.

“If we’ve got a good car, I do believe next year could be the first time I get a car to really show my talent and my skills, and that’s all I care [about].

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“If I need to do more work or more preparation, I’m the kind of guy to do it. I don’t leave anything on the table, and I’m planning this winter to work even more with the team to make sure I’m on top of any advantage I could gain.

“Whether it’s going to be good or better or not for racing, I don’t know, but I’m at the stage of my career where I just want to win and I’ll do anything I can do to make it happen next year.”

Heading into an all-new regulation cycle, drivers have already spoken about the extra mental load they expect to face by managing energy deployment from a much larger electrical component in their power units, along with all-new active aerodynamics that will create a significantly different driving experience.

Gasly recently shared pictures of spending time in the Alpine simulator ahead of the new season, and having had the experience of driving one of Ayrton Senna’s first cars in Formula 1 when the Brazilian great was a part of ‘Team Enstone’ in its guise as Toleman, the amount drivers will have to think about in 2026 will be much higher.

“I know there is still a lot to figure out, and I know that it’s going to be a big change for us,” Gasly noted.

“There might be more to think about inside the car in terms of being quite wise and strategic in the way we use the energy and the way we drive.

“I had the chance last year to try Senna’s car in Silverstone from ’83 [1984 Toleman TG183B, ed.] and all you had to care about was the wheel and the gear shift, H [pattern] gearbox, and that was it. No electronics, nothing – which was quite pure.

“I think going into next year, there’s going to be a lot more to manage and a lot more to be aware of in terms of engine recovery, battery and even racing wise, it’s not going to be only about being faster and outbraking your opponent. It’s how will I use my energy to make sure you can stay ahead etc?

“So, quite a lot to go through over the winter to get ready for it, because I expect quite a change.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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