F1 news: Pierre Gasly concedes Alpine ‘has some work to do’ ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

Alpine has gotten off to an uneven start here in the 2025 Formula 1 season.

The team that finished a surprising sixth in the 2025 Constructors’ Championship standings is mired at the bottom of the table, similar to the beginning of their 2024 campaign. Last year Alpine was stuck in ninth for most of the season until a shocking double-podium at the São Paulo Grand Prix from Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon pulled them into the midfield fight.

Now the team is on their third driver of the season — with Franco Colapinto having replaced Jack Doohan following the Miami Grand Prix — and their second Team Principal. Oliver Oakes departed after Miami as well, as his brother faces criminal charges in the United Kingdom for “transferring criminal property,” leaving Senior Advisor Flavio Briatore to handle team principal duties.

Alpine departed Montreal after a tough Canadian Grand Prix, and the team is hoping to rebound this weekend in the Styrian hills.

“After a disappointing race in Canada we know we have some work to do, especially as our close rivals again claimed points in the race,” said Gasly in the team’s media preview of the Austrian Grand Prix. “I think our race was compromised by Qualifying as we know how important track position is these days. The car had some pace, we just did not get it right on the second new set of Softs on Saturday and that left us out in Q1 and then we had a Pit Lane start so it was always going to be an uphill battle from there.”

Gasly spent some time at the team’s Enstone factory to prepare for the upcoming double-header, which takes the grid from Austria to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix.

“I have been at the factory with the team to debrief and also to prepare Austria and Silverstone for this double-header. Spielberg is the shortest lap time of the season and that makes it very intense,” added Gasly. “It has a lot of high-speed corners and hard braking zones which, despite only ten corners, makes it a challenging lap. We will aim to be on the pace from the outset and have a competitive weekend.

On the other side of the garage, Colapinto hailed the “potential” in the A525, despite the difficult weekend in Montreal. The young driver also noted that Red Bull Ring has been kind to him in the past, as he notched a podium in last season’s Formula 2 Feature Race.

“It was not the result that we wanted from the weekend in Canada, but we made good progress session by session and showed we had potential in the car,” said Colapinto. “We just need to keep working hard and keep making steps in the right direction ahead of Austria this weekend.

“It is a track I know well from racing in junior series, most recently, securing a podium in last year’s Formula 2 Feature Race. It’s a real drivers’ circuit, meaning you need to nail everything and keep a good, consistent flow as it’s such a short lap time. The pressure will be on to make sure we maximize everything in Qualifying to give us the best possible chance of securing points in the race.”

Colapinto is under some pressure of his own ahead of this weekend. When Alpine made the move to him after the Miami Grand Prix, the switch came with a qualification that Colapinto was in the seat for five races.

This week in Austria is his fifth race in the A525.

However, while the Canadian Grand Prix was not kind to Alpine, the two drivers did admit that the days that followed offered a “surreal” experience. Both Gasly and Colapinto flew to New York City for the premiere of F1: The Movie.

“Finally, it was very cool, and surreal, to go to New York City for the world premiere of F1: The Movie. It’s out in cinemas this week and I can tell you, I’ve been really impressed with how Formula One have pulled it off,” said Gasly. “I personally really like the film, and I can’t wait to see what the fans think. To have walked the “red” carpet with Brad Pitt though, wow, that was incredible and a memory I will hold for a long time.”

“Away from track last week, we made a stopover in New York City for the premiere of F1: The Movie. It was a once in a lifetime experience to walk the red carpet in Times Square and meet Brad Pitt. Safe to say, it will be a day I’ll never forget. The movie will be talk of the paddock this weekend and I am excited for everyone to see it,” added Colapinto.

Of course, points are more important than premieres.

“On track, we remain very focused and we know we need to pull everything together across the weekend in Spielberg to score some all-important points for the team,” concluded Colapinto.