Pierre Gasly says Alpine faces a difficult task in its fight with Racing Bulls but insists there is still plenty that can happen before the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The French driver is targeting a return to the points at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix after Alpine failed to score in both Baku and Sepang.
Singapore therefore represents an important opportunity for the Anglo-French team to recover ground in the battle for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, with the Sprint format increasing the number of points available across the Marina Bay weekend.
Alpine targets return to the points in Singapore
Alpine’s objective for the Singapore Grand Prix is straightforward: return to the top 10. The team has failed to score with either car in the last two races, first in Baku following a major error from Franco Colapinto that also involved his team-mate, and then at Sepang after unsuccessful strategy choices during a race complicated by changing weather conditions.
The move to Singapore provides Alpine with an immediate chance to respond. The night race at Marina Bay also introduces a different challenge through the Sprint format, meaning teams will have very little time to optimise their cars before the competitive sessions begin.
Fans can find the full 2026 Singapore Grand Prix Sprint schedule and session times ahead of the weekend.
Pierre Gasly acknowledges Racing Bulls advantage
Pierre Gasly believes Alpine must be competitive immediately if it wants to maximise its opportunity to reduce the gap to Racing Bulls.
“We dive straight into another race week as we prepare for this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix,” Pierre Gasly said. “I travelled to Singapore by car on Monday, as it’s only a few hours from Sepang; it’s quite an unusual situation compared to normal, but a nice way to start the race week.”
“Singapore represents a new challenge this time because of the Sprint format: we’ll need to be competitive straight away and find the right set-up for the car immediately.”
The conditions will at least be relatively familiar after the demanding heat and humidity experienced in Malaysia.
“We’re quite used to these conditions now, having raced in Malaysia last weekend: it was hot, very humid and, of course, there was a lot of rain on race day.”
Gasly said Alpine had already reviewed what happened at Sepang and found positives in the car’s underlying performance despite the disappointing result.
“As a team we analysed what happened and took positives from last weekend, during which the car generally performed well. It wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but we tried an aggressive strategy that didn’t pay off; now we’re all fully focused on this weekend’s race.”
Gasly: ‘A tough task awaits us’
The size of Racing Bulls’ advantage means Alpine has significant ground to recover, but Pierre Gasly believes enough opportunities remain for the situation to change.
“A tough task awaits us, given that our rivals now have a considerable advantage in the championship. A lot can still happen between now and the end of the season, there are still plenty of points available and our objective this weekend is to score as many as possible and make progress towards our target.”
Franco Colapinto relishes Marina Bay challenge
High temperatures, intense humidity and the unforgiving nature of the Marina Bay street circuit will place major physical demands on the drivers. Despite that, Franco Colapinto considers Singapore one of his favourite venues of the season.
“After the race in Malaysia, we move on to Singapore for one of the most extreme weekends of the season,” Franco Colapinto said. “The heat and humidity were a real challenge at Sepang and it won’t be any different this weekend, with the added difficulty of racing on a street circuit.”
“It’s an unforgiving track and incredibly fun to drive. The mix of technical corners, bumpy surface and close walls, combined with racing at night, makes it one of my favourites of the year.”
The characteristics that make Marina Bay so demanding can be seen in a detailed Marina Bay circuit analysis, with traction, technical corners and the street layout all playing major roles.
Franco Colapinto also stressed the importance of starting the weekend strongly because of the limited practice available in the Sprint format.
“The conditions really reward commitment and we’ll need to find the right rhythm immediately, as it’s another Sprint weekend. Having two qualifying sessions will be exciting and we’ll work hard to make the most of both opportunities and put ourselves in a position to score points.”
After two consecutive races outside the top 10, Singapore therefore represents a crucial opportunity for Alpine to stop its recent run of scoreless weekends and begin reducing Racing Bulls’ advantage before the final phase of the season.
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