“After two years of relatively peaceful cohabitation, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are going their separate ways, each taking on the role of team leader. One remains with Alpine, while the other has moved to Haas.
Gasly, the driving force of Alpine
In a team shaken by constant reorganizations, a solid pillar is needed to lay new foundations. With Pierre Gasly, who at 29 is starting his eighth full season in F1 and his third in blue and pink, Alpine has a benchmark on which it can rely in its perpetual reconstruction, after a tumultuous 2024 season behind the scenes and chaotic on the track. The two A524s started the season on the last row of the grid in Bahrain only to find themselves on the podium eight months later in Brazil. An unexpected revival to which the Normandy native greatly contributed, scoring 34 of his 42 points in the last five GPs and an incredible third place on the grid in Las Vegas.
With a teammate, Jack Doohan, known for his good setup skills but almost a novice in racing (15th in Abu Dhabi in November as an early replacement for Esteban Ocon), Alpine will primarily rely on Gasly’s feedback to fine-tune the settings of a 2025 F1 car that is not expected to receive many updates during the season, the last with a Renault engine. “I am expected to perform, but I like that, it’s a position I enjoy,” admits the man who was already the leader of AlphaTauri.
Pierre Gasly
“We aim to be the best of the midfield and we hope that the gap with the top four is not too big”
Performing well in the Bahrain tests, the A525 has satisfied the Frenchman. “The behavior is good, in terms of sensations we are continuing what I felt at the end of last year, with the addition of updates that seem to be working,” Gasly appreciates. “As soon as we change something in the settings, the car reacts, responds as I wish. That means the base is sound.”
The question remains as to how their performance will stack up against the competition. “We aim to be the best of the midfield and hope that the gap with the top four (McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes) is not too large to allow us to pull off some surprises, as we managed to do at the end of last season.” But the one who is now the only Norman on board is primarily focused on 2026. “The most important thing is to continue the momentum from the end of 2024 in terms of our understanding of the car, our processes, and the way we work to ensure that the next car will be the best possible. Because our best opportunity will be 2026.”
A Fresh Start for Ocon
A new beginning. And perhaps a breath of fresh air. Having reached the end of his journey with the Renault group after five seasons, during which he gave Alpine its only F1 victory to date (Hungary 2021), Esteban Ocon has decided to seek fresh pastures. He’s now with Haas, his fourth team as a Grand Prix driver. “This winter, I spent a lot of time with the team, which has a family-like and very professional atmosphere,” he appreciates. “I feel great in this supportive environment. The team is doing everything to make me feel comfortable, everyone is very attentive, it’s appreciated.”
Ocon got a taste of this cocoon as early as the end-of-season 2024 tests in Abu Dhabi. It was an opportunity for the Frenchman to familiarize himself with a new world and different work habits and to begin necessary mutual adaptations. Not comfortable with the single paddle of his new F1 steering wheel, Ocon, for example, requested the installation of a second one, as he was used to at Alpine. His wish was quickly granted. “The new steering wheel arrived exactly as I wanted. Things that would have taken eight or ten months elsewhere were done in a month and a half here,” appreciates the Norman, as a dig at his former team.
Strong Ties with His Track Engineer
Ocon, who will team up with the pseudo-rookie Oliver Bearman (one GP with Ferrari and two with Haas last year), has also made every effort to build strong ties with his track engineer Laura Müller, the first woman to hold this position in F1. “She came to train with me at 3, 2, 1 Perform where Xavier (Feuillée, his trainer) set up cohesion workshops and a training camp so we could get to know each other in stressful situations.”
While Ocon (17th time) and Bearman (20th) kept a low profile during the Bahrain tests, Haas gathered a lot of information with 457 laps completed in three days, just one less than Mercedes, the benchmark in this area. “We really focused on long runs, we didn’t do anything to set a fast lap and we carried a lot of fuel,” reassures the Frenchman, who could find himself battling in the midfield with his arch-rival Pierre Gasly. No team orders to arbitrate the duel, now.
