After a very challenging year, which began with a disappointing start to the season and ended on an upward trend thanks to technical updates that proved very effective, Alpine no longer wants to be at the back of the pack but instead continue its climb toward the top in 2025, which has a transitional feel towards the future.
However, even though the focus is clearly already on 2026, when Mercedes power units will arrive following the departure from Renault engines at the end of this year, this does not mean that 2025 should be a season without objectives.
In fact, at this week’s Autosport Awards, Pierre Gasly set a very ambitious target for the French team, which is to return to the top 5 in the Constructors’ Championship. This bold goal is one Alpine has only reached twice in recent seasons, in 2021 and 2022, but during those years, they lacked a formidable opponent with greater resources like Aston Martin.
Last year, Alpine had a difficult season, partly due to the A524 being well above the minimum weight limit at the start of the championship, which also affected aerodynamic development due to delays. The team stayed in ninth place for a long time until a double podium in Brazil and a strong finish allowed them to recover a sixth place, which at one point seemed almost unrealistic.
It is precisely the improvement towards the end of the season that gives Pierre Gasly the most confidence heading into the new year, but achieving fifth place will be an extremely ambitious target, not only because the top 4 teams will likely remain as such, but also because Aston Martin represents the big unknown.
“I would like to finish in the top five in the Constructors’ Championship because that’s what I want and I think it’s definitely achievable,” Pierre Gasly responded.
“Obviously, deep down, I would want something more, but I have to be realistic and know that with a smaller, more competitive grid, I don’t expect big changes compared to last year,” the French driver added.
Some technical decisions will yield more benefits in 2025 than what was seen last season. It’s important to remember that the modified chassis was designed to provide more technical freedom to engineers in terms of aerodynamics, but the weight issues at the beginning of 2024 strongly limited the scope of action. However, the latest package showed there was room for growth, with Alpine almost becoming the queen of the midfield in the final races of the season.
However, the real unknown will be Aston Martin. In 2024, it capitalized on points earned early in the season, but suffered more with development during the championship, stagnating due to performance issues. It’s no coincidence that Alpine and even Haas were able to surpass it in terms of performance, while the AMR24 had higher peaks, showing itself to be a very extreme car in terms of behavior.
For 2025, Alpine wants to continue its growth, but Aston Martin has decided to overhaul the project, aware of the significant limitations faced in 2024, so the AMR25 will be an unknown. Additionally, Haas itself could be a formidable and difficult opponent to underestimate.
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