Pierre Gasly savored an intense duel with Max Verstappen in Japan, a symbol of Alpine’s return to form this season.
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Pierre Gasly’s weekend at Suzuka will remain one of the most accomplished since his arrival at Alpine. Qualifying in a solid seventh place, the Frenchman settled in just behind the top teams, even ahead of the two Red Bulls.
In the race, he confirmed this performance by maintaining his position under constant pressure, thus signing the team’s best result on this circuit for several seasons.
This result validates the progress made by the Enstone team, now revitalized thanks to its new Mercedes engine.
An intense duel against Verstappen
But beyond the raw result, it was above all the fight with Max Verstappen that marked Gasly’s race. For many laps, the four-time world champion remained in his DRS zone, without ever managing to launch a decisive attack.
“It was a perfect weekend, because seventh place in qualifying and the race was the maximum we could aim for. The top 6 was out of reach” he explains.
Gasly also insists on the reduced gap with the leaders: “We finished only seven seconds behind Lewis, which is very encouraging, and with a good margin over the cars behind.”
Strategic and mental management
Faced with an opponent of Verstappen’s caliber, the slightest mistake was forbidden. Gasly had to show intelligence in his race management, particularly in the use of energy.
“The race was very intense. We know that Max never gives up. For 28 laps, he was putting on a lot of pressure” he confides.
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The Frenchman details the difficulty of the challenge: “We were performing well in different parts of the circuit, so it wasn’t easy every lap, especially in the last chicane and at the first corner” he continues.
It was finally thanks to fine management of his battery that he was able to hold on: “I was able to play a bit and be clever with my energy, but it was really intense.”
A strong signal for the future
This duel is by no means insignificant for Gasly, who fully savors this confrontation with one of the best drivers on the grid.
“It’s not every weekend that I have the opportunity to fight with a four-time world champion, so I’m very happy to be able to do it” he emphasizes.
He also recognizes that this type of situation pushes him to surpass himself: “There is more pressure, we know who we are fighting against, and that allows me to get the best out of myself.”
In the end, this performance confirms a clear trend: Alpine is back in the midfield battle… and can even aim higher.
“I am very satisfied with the race, and we were clearly faster than the other midfield teams” concludes Gasly.
If this dynamic is confirmed, Alpine could well establish itself as the surprise team of this 2026 F1 season.
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