Gasly warns Racing Bulls threat will test Alpine’s fight for fifth at Spa

Alpine face pressure from a resurgent Racing Bulls

Pierre Gasly has warned that Alpine’s battle to retain fifth in the Teams’ Championship will be under serious pressure at the Belgian Grand Prix, with Racing Bulls now just one point behind.

Racing Bulls have emerged as one of the strongest midfield teams in recent weeks. Their improvement became particularly evident after the team introduced a major upgrade package in Canada, and that progress has since been reflected in the results of both cars.

Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad have scored points together in each of the last four Grands Prix. Lawson also produced an impressive seventh-place finish in Montreal, while his rookie team-mate was unable to start because of a technical issue.

That run of form has left Alpine looking over its shoulder at Spa. Gasly and Franco Colapinto both scored at the British Grand Prix, but Gasly described the outcome as a “damage limitation” result given Racing Bulls’ pace. The wider Belgian Grand Prix picture is covered in our full Spa weekend guide.

Gasly expects the battle to remain close

Gasly acknowledged that Racing Bulls have performed better than Alpine over the past few races and expects the contest to be difficult in Belgium.

“Racing Bulls have looked really strong in the last few weekends, scoring points with both cars I think in the last four races,” Gasly said. “They've definitely done a good job, a better job than we've been able to do in the last couple of weeks. It's going to be tough because they're very competitive.”

The Alpine driver also indicated that the balance may not change until his team introduces its next set of upgrades for the A526. Until then, Alpine’s priority will be to maximise each weekend and make the championship fight as demanding as possible for its rivals.

“[It] doesn't mean it's impossible but I think until we get this next batch of upgrades on the car, it's mainly going to be – I don't like to say damage limitation – but try to take it race by race and make their life as hard as possible,” he continued.

“We've got a single point more in the championship, which we're going to try and hold onto as long as we can. But it's going to be a tricky one.”

Lawson highlights Racing Bulls’ progress

Lawson was equally positive about Racing Bulls’ recent development, praising the team’s ability to convert each area of focus into performance gains.

“The car has been working really well,” he said. “Each upgrade we’re bringing or each area that we’re focusing on we’re managing to execute and find those gains that we’re searching for.”

With Alpine awaiting its own upgrade package, Spa offers Racing Bulls another opportunity to turn momentum into points and move ahead in the midfield championship fight.