Gasly says Alpine is “miles ahead” of nothing as midfield rivals pull clear

Gasly sounds the alarm over Alpine’s midfield slide

Pierre Gasly believes Alpine’s midfield rivals have moved decisively clear after the team suffered a sharp drop in competitiveness across the latest Formula 1 race weekends.

Racing Bulls’ points finish at Spa, secured by Arvid Lindblad, brought the team level with Alpine on 61 points ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Gasly’s assessment of the qualifying gap was blunt, with Racing Bulls and Audi now setting the standard in the fight behind the leading teams.

He added that Liam Lawson appeared to be running a different specification, making the race comparison less straightforward. Even so, Gasly was clear about the development deficit Alpine must address.

“They clearly, I think, are the benchmark with Audi, and we need to keep working if we want to keep the battle alive.”

Spa frustration compounds Alpine’s problems

Gasly finished 11th in the 44-lap Belgian Grand Prix, while team-mate Franco Colapinto delivered a strong drive to take 10th and secure a point. The result kept Alpine level with Racing Bulls, but it did little to disguise the team’s lack of pace.

Gasly said a poor start cost him ground initially, although he recovered two positions. A slow pit stop then left him behind Lawson and Lindblad, forcing him to spend 25 laps attempting to make progress.

“With a better stop, we would have ended up in front of Lawson and Lindblad, which I think could have changed our race,” he said.

A three-wide fight into Turn 5 also went against him, leaving Gasly to battle Lawson once again. By the chequered flag, Alpine had finished 10th and 11th, well behind Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi.

“It was just a bit of a frustrating race,” Gasly said. “We were just too slow, finishing far away from Bortoleto, and that’s clearly not where we want to be.”

The team now faces a crucial Hungarian weekend before the month-long August summer break. Alpine must protect fifth place, but Gasly’s Spa verdict underlines how difficult that task has become. Colapinto’s Spa point kept Alpine level with Racing Bulls, yet the competitive picture is moving against the team.