Pierre Gasly left the Formula 1 Japanese GP with renewed confidence, after finishing in seventh place and ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen. The Frenchman described the A526 as the best car he has ever had in the category, highlighting the team’s consistent performance at Suzuka.
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This result reinforces Alpine’s evolution this year, after the team decided to sacrifice the 2025 season to focus on the new technical rules. In 2026, Gasly returned to lead the project, this time fighting higher up the grid and with more competitive performance.
The thirty-year-old driver had a consistent weekend, finishing the race in seventh position and staying ahead of both Red Bull Racing cars. In the race, he built a comfortable lead before the safety car came out, which eliminated his three-second gap to Verstappen.
In the final laps, the Frenchman had to resist pressure from the four-time champion. After being overtaken on lap 48, Gasly reacted and retook the position, crossing the finish line just 0,337s ahead of the Dutchman: “It was a long race, with a lot of pressure. In the first part, I was comfortable with the Medium tires, but I knew that with so many safety cars this year, something could happen,” he told Canal+.
Gasly also highlighted the intensity of the duel in the final laps: “In the second part it was different. Max put a lot of pressure throughout the race, so I had to concentrate to the maximum, without tire management and without making mistakes, because he was very close. They were a bit better on the hard tires, but we managed to keep him behind and secure seventh place.”
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The consistent performance also caught the Frenchman’s attention, who pointed out the car’s evolution throughout the early stages: “I think, for now, this is the best car I’ve had in my career, perhaps alongside the 2021 AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls),” he added.
Gasly is one of six drivers who have scored points in all three races so far and occupies eighth position in the championship, with fifteen points, again ahead of Verstappen. Alpine also appears ahead of Red Bull Racing in the constructors’ championship standings, occupying fifth place.
The Frenchman remains optimistic for the next races and believes the team can continue to evolve: “I think we have a good base. The car worked well in the first weekends and we achieved performance in different conditions. We know our limitations, but we have a month ahead of us and we are working for Miami. If we continue to evolve, I hope we can reach the front of the pack,” he concluded.
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