Pierre Gasly says ‘it’s time’ for big target as Alpine F1 team ‘could do better’

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Pierre Gasly believes Alpine ‘could do better’ than the Renault-owned Formula 1 team achieved in 2023 as ‘it is time’ for the Frenchman to win his second Grand Prix to date.

The 28-year-old has only stood atop a podium once since earning a seat on the grid near the end of the 2017 season. Gasly won the 2020 Italian GP with AlphaTauri after Lewis Hamilton received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty. But Gasly has only got on a rostrum twice since.

Just one of those podiums also followed Gasly leaving Faenza for Enstone in 2023 to replace Fernando Alonso at Alpine. He capitalised on the chaotic climactic conditions to secure third at the Dutch GP. Teammate Esteban Ocon also only achieved one podium finish last season.

Alpine fell from fourth to sixth after Gasly joined Ocon in Enstone for the 2023 F1 season

Ocon secured Alpine their first podium of the 2023 campaign at the Monaco GP but finished the year behind Gasly in the drivers’ championship. The French pair secured P12 and 11 last year with 58 and 62 points respectively. Their efforts also gave Alpine P6 in the teams’ table.

Alpine were the fourth-best constructor on the Formula 1 grid in 2022 on 173 points, thanks to Ocon’s 92 and Alonso’s 81. It was the Enstone natives’ best finish since Renault rebranded the team as Alpine. It was also the team’s best finish since Renault took fourth back in 2018.

Gasly admits the Renault-owned F1 team ‘could do better’ as he targets a second race win

In an attempt to revert last season’s regression, Gasly feels Alpine have ‘drastically changed’ their car with the A524. He also hopes their latest challenger lets the Rouen-born racer and Evreux native, Ocon, secure regular podiums in 2024 as last year fell below his expectations.

“We have drastically changed the car based on last year,” he said, via quotes by Formule1.nl. “We were on the podium every now and then but we could do better.”

Gasly also took a third-place finish in the Sprint at the Belgian GP during his first season with Alpine in 2023. But the former Red Bull driver longs to win a second Grand Prix after turning 28 at the start of February. Gasly is also in the final year of his initial two-year deal at Alpine.

“It took me time and energy to get used to the new environment,” Gasly added regarding his move from AlphaTauri. “I just turned 28, so it’s time for me to get that second victory.”