Alpine’s new Mercedes engine could help Pierre Gasly deliver on ‘massive’ goal he set for 2026

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2025 marked the most disappointing chapter in Pierre Gasly’s journey with Alpine yet. It’s the worst they had performed in a very long time.

Rooted to the bottom of the constructors’ championship, and a long way behind the rest of the field, they opted to give up and focus on the 2026 F1 regulations at a very early stage.

Now, it’s time for that decision to pay dividends, because it won’t be great for Gasly’s career or confidence to be spending another season at the back of the pack.

Nor will it be great for the Alpine’s investors, with less TV time and prize money coming their way, as a result of being a bit of a non-factor. Mercedes’ engine is here to help change that.

Christian Horner’s preferred option to rejoin the paddock is Alpine, but there’s a chance that Renault could block him from buying shares.

Concerningly, as the first test nears, Alpine haven’t received the ‘information’ they need from Mercedes, which could force a few delays.

READ MORE: Pierre Gasly doubts he’ll fix his relationship with one F1 rival for at least ’10 years’

Alpine’s Mercedes engine could help deliver Pierre Gasly’s ‘massive’ goal for 2026

F1 fans are excited by Mercedes’ 2026 engine after hearing it fire up for the very first time, on behalf of Alpine.

Historically, they’re fast-starters when it comes to new regulations, and they should be able to help elevate the French outfit’s performance.

Diverting resources to the chassis, rather than the engine side, will allow Alpine to focus on bringing the best car possible to each race, while the Silver Arrows take care of the power unit.

That’s a big step toward helping Gasly achieve the ‘massive’ goal he set for them last year, knowing that 2026 is an opportunity for them to kick on.

“I hate this question,” he told Mail Sport. “If you ask me, I want to win every single race, but I know that won’t be possible this year.

“But it’s important for us to build a strong foundation to make sure we get the best out of 2026, which I see as a massive opportunity for the team. That still means we need to be on top of our game this year and get 100 percent out of the car we have.”

READ MORE: Flavio Briatore’s stance on staying at Alpine revealed if Christian Horner makes F1 return

Was 2025 the worst season of Pierre Gasly’s F1 career so far?

Although Gasly has spent some time in somewhat uncompetitive midfield machinery before, it has never quite been as bad as it was in 2025.

The small positive he could take was being able to make Q3 so many times (10), but could only hang on for points on five occasions all year.

A tally of 22 points meant that he pipped 2022 for his lowest total in a full-time campaign ever, by just one point. But, he did finish four places higher in the drivers’ standings that year.

There’s no way that he’ll allow for a repeat of that in 2026, and at the age of 29, he’s looking to make use of some of his best years before they are wasted completely.