Pierre Gasly has cited Lewis Hamilton as a key influence on his approach to the Alpine F1 team and its personnel. In an interview with Motorsport Network, the Frenchman expressed admiration for the Briton’s ability to foster strong relationships within his team by working with a consistent group of people.
Gasly has opted to extend his stay with the Alpine F1 team into the 2025 season and beyond. The 28-year-old believes in creating a stable environment surrounded by familiar faces. Similar to Hamilton, who has had Peter Bennington as his engineer since the start of his tenure at Mercedes, the French driver believes consistent personnel fosters trust and open communication.
Explaining his dynamic with the Alpine F1 team, Gasly said:
“It’s no secret why you see guys like Lewis [Hamilton] working so long with the same race engineer and people sticking with people they know, because you build that trust and that communication process where no one’s afraid of telling things how they are, whether it’s good or bad. Over a full season there are a couple of situations where it makes you make the right choice or the right change because they understand exactly what you need and that’s where you find the last few hundredths of performance.”
Pierre Gasly hopes changes at Alpine will turn around their performance
Pierre Gasly admitted that the changes within the Alpine F1 team, coupled with the team’s performance struggles, have created a challenging enironment. In contrast to the three podium finishes achieved in 2023, the 2024 season has proven to be significantly more difficult.
The French manufacturers have axed several team personnel, including team principal Bruno Famin. Former Hi-tech team boss Oliver Oakes is set to take over the role after the summer break. The team also recently appointed former Renault boss Flavio Briatore as an advisor. Additionally, there is speculation that Alpine will cease engine production and potentially adopt Mercedes as their engine supplier for 2026 and beyond.
Addressing the changes and situation within the team, Pierre Gasly said,
“It’s not an easy time. Obviously last year wasn’t as good as we would have liked, but we still came out of it with three podiums as a team, and this year clearly is tougher on them. Personally, it is not nice to be performing the way we are, but at the same time I really see the efforts they’re doing. I’m sure that with that type of mentality we have at the moment, there’ll be a turnaround and we’ll be able to get the performance out of the team.”
Gasly hopes that the changes and new mindset within the team will turn things around for them in terms of results. Currently, Alpine is eighth in the constructors championship, with a total of 11 points.
The former Red Bull Racing driver is 14th in the drivers standings with six points to his credit. Outperforming his teammate Esteban Ocon has been a significant challenge, but Gasly managed to turn the tide in Monaco, by securing his first points of the season.