Gasly calls for Alpine sacrifice as 'weapons' point made

Pierre Gasly wants to sacrifice the 2025 F1 season, telling his Alpine team that "we're starting with the same weapons" as rival squads for the 2026 reset.

F1's technical regulations are set for their biggest-ever overhaul in 2026, with active aerodynamics being paired with a power unit refresh, with the complete package set to create a big shake-up of the pecking order.

In the ground-effects era, Alpine has found itself as a consistent midfield runner, unable to close the gap to the top teams, with the Renault power unit also affected by the development freeze, meaning performance upgrades have not been permitted to fix weaknesses in the design.

After a poor start to 2024, Alpine rallied in the latter races to finish sixth in the constructors', a result worth nearly $30 million in prize money. 

But for the final year of the current regulations, Gasly believes it would be a mistake to focus too much attention away from 2026.

"If it was down to me, all the budget would be on 2026, but I am not in control of the budget," Gasly told media including RacingNews365. 

"If that is good or bad, I don't know but I don't care being eighth, ninth or 10th, I want to win, I want to finish on the podium and I know it is not going to be easy to make [the gap] up this year.

"But I know in 2026, we're starting with the same weapons as other teams and it is up to us to deliver the best car possible. 

"It doesn't change as a driver, every single time you get in the car, I want the fastest package I can get, so it doesn't change the mindset for 2025, but bigger picture, I know there is a lot more to gain in '26 than I'll be able to fight for in '25.

"That is why we've got to be smart in the way we do things. The good thing is that the budget is already decided for this year, the upgrades are pretty much all decided as well so we've got a clear plan, and we've just got to trust in our tools and make sure we make the right decisions for our future."