Alpine is a team with a rich history in Formula 1. Under previous guises, Benetton and Renault, the team won multiple world championships with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso. However, in recent seasons, the French team has slipped down the pecking order.
Since changing their name and brand to Alpine, they have only managed one race win, with Esteban Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and six podiums since the beginning of the 2021 season. The 2024 season saw a damming indictment of their positioning as they filled the back row of the grid for the first race in Bahrain.
The team did improve, finishing 2024 strong with a double podium in Brazil and claiming sixth position in the constructors’ championship. The question is, can they continue this momentum into the 2025 season?
Alpine impresses in pre-season testing
Alpine pumped in the fourth amount of laps during pre-season testing, and there were encouraging signs the French team are making a step forward with the new car. Pierre Gasly was able to put in quick lap times, while his rookie teammate Jack Doohan was not too far behind his more experienced teammate.
Gasly believes Alpine’s 2025 challenger has made progress, saying: “I’d be surprised if we look as bad as we did a year ago, the team has done a good job over the winter and we are satisfied with the gains we have had.”
Pierre Gasly Encouraged by Alpine’s Progress After Day 1 of Pre-Season Testing
Team principal Oliver Oakes added: “Obviously, you always want to be quicker; I’m very impatient! But you can see inside the team we are in a really good place. It’s an exciting year, we want to continue where we left off. Those results – Brazil, Qatar, Abu Dhabi – we were in the fight right at the front of the midfield.”
Pierre Gasly excelled in pre-season testing, constantly finishing each day in the top ten of the leaderboard. However, as this is only testing sessions and some teams are sandbagging to hide their real pace, the times may be slightly misleading.
Can Alpine return to the top of midfield?
Only three seasons ago, Alpine were in the top four in the Constructors’ Championship. Since the 2022 season, the French team have slipped down the pecking order. However, their pre-season test looked encouraging.
That it, 2025 #F1Testing is complete 🙌
Next stop: Australia 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/M4jsBKnjmY
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 28, 2025
The battle for fifth in the constructors’ championship is up for grabs. Aston Martin looks off the pace as do Racing Bulls. Williams have a similar pace to Alpine, while Haas are an unknown due to sandbagging their runs. This gives Alpine the chance to overturn their poor form from previous years.
With the experience Gasly brings to Alpine and under its current leadership of Oliver Oakes and Flavio Briatore, Alpine looks to be heading in the right direction. The truth of every car’s pace will be revealed when the lights go out in Australia, and Alpine hope to be challenging for points.
