Abu Dhabi F1: Pierre Gasly excited by 'massive potential' at Alpine

French driver admits he is already looking ahead to next season with team 'trying to improve everywhere'

French driver Pierre Gasly is about to finish his first season at Alpine. Victor Besa / The National

The Alpine Formula One team is the youngster in the sport’s recent history but the constructor is not shy about revealing some major ambitions for the future.

Pierre Gasly, who joined Alpine this season, emphasised these ambitions, but was not blasé to what lay ahead, citing major challenges in the light of what the already established constructors were managing.

“Even with the best will and desire to improve, sometimes you don’t find any progress,” he said, speaking out the team’s villa behind the pit lane at Yas Marina Circuit.

The driver is positive about what may lay ahead, citing “massive potential” when it comes to the 2023/2024 season.

“From what I’m seeing inside the team at the moment, we’re really trying to improve everywhere,” he added.

Gasly’s teammate, Esteban Ocon, was also slotted to speak on Thursday, but he was taken ill. He will, though, be at the track tomorrow and set to take part in the first practice session

Despite its recent arrival in F1, Alpine as a team involved with motorsports has a rich history.

The 2021 rebranding was the next step in Renault reasserting itself in the F1 sphere, following its takeover of the then Lotus team in 2016.

Currently, the Alpine drivers are sitting at 11th and 12th spot in the standings, with Gasly a handful of points ahead of his teammate.

When events at Abu Dhabi culminate, the next event in the new F1 season will be in Bahrain in almost 100 days time.

Gasly is keen to get started, saying the summer would be a busy period for Alpine and that it’s all about a positive mindset within the team, saying everyone has the “right spirit”.

“We’re really aware of our weaknesses, we’re really aware of our potential, we welcome the new season,” he said.