Pierre Gasly makes honest revelation about Mercedes' 2026 F1 engines as Alpine enters new era

Pierre Gasly is stepping into 2026, believing Alpine can reset its story with a new philosophy, a Mercedes engine, and fresh regulations. The Frenchman has lived through the frustration for three years, watched the team fall to the bottom this year, but still points to the future with confidence.

Mercedes' works team will supply engines to McLaren, Williams, and Alpine under the new rules. With eight consecutive constructors' championships, their history across the hybrid era speaks for itself. McLaren won the title in the last two years with the same power units as well.

Gasly sees that and wants Alpine on the front edge of a Mercedes engine too.

“Now we open a new chapter with Mercedes, and obviously, looking at their CV, how many times they’ve been World Champions, I’m sure it’s going to be a great adventure,” Gasly told F1.com. “I’m not going to lie, I’m very excited about it. From what I’m hearing, the engine is in a great place, so I’m looking forward to that first test and feeling what it’s like to have Merc horsepower on my back.”

He also acknowledged Renault, which has supported Alpine with power units through the years.

Alpine F1 #43 car during the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. Source: Getty

Pierre Gasly has carried Alpine for long stretches in the 2025 campaign. The car was difficult and lacked pace over the race distance, as development stopped early to focus on 2026. Yet he found ways to drag results from it with seven points-scoring finishes. Meanwhile, his rookie teammates Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto finished the year without a single point.

That contrast underlined how much Gasly was extracting when the window opened. And now, his optimism is tied to what comes next. He spoke about belief in Mercedes' track record and the work being done inside Enstone.

“I have very high expectations for us as a team next year. We made tactical sacrifices on 2025 to reward all of us by starting on the right foot from 2026 onwards… Next year, I want to be fighting at the front of the grid... I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be able to be right up there,” he said.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has already cooled the talk of guaranteed dominance. He dismissed the early whispers around the 2026 advantages as “gossip.”

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“We’ve got all the ingredients to be successful”: Pierre Gasly backs Alpine’s rebuild

2025 Alpine F1 team photo: (L-R) Paul Aron, Pierre Gasly, Flavio Briatore, and Franco Colapinto. Source: Getty

The change in engine supplier is only one part of the transformation at Alpine. They have also made changes in personnel, structure, and leadership. Flavio Briatore has returned as executive advisor and is now the de facto Team Principal. Steve Nielsen has arrived as Managing Director to steady the operation.

Inside the garage, Pierre Gasly now senses something clearer with a group that knows what it wants to be. He said (via F1):

“I also really like Steve. He’s a very different character to Flavio, but I think they complement each other a lot… I feel that we’ve got great characters across the team, and we’ve got all the ingredients to be successful. Now we’ve just got to make it happen.”

Alpine finished the 2025 season last in the team standings with 22 points. Pierre Gasly's P6 in Silverstone in July was the ceiling. But with a new power unit and new team management, 2026 feels different to him.

Edited by Parag Jain