Pierre Gasly produced a determined performance at the 2025 F1 Spanish GP, securing eighth place and adding crucial points to Alpine’s campaign. The midfield battle has grown increasingly intense, and every result carries weight. However, despite Gasly’s success, Alpine experienced contrasting fortunes in Barcelona, as Franco Colapinto faced a far tougher afternoon.
Gasly converts strong start into vital points
Gasly started the race inside the top ten, giving Alpine confidence that they could return home with a solid haul of points. The team encountered several challenges during the race, but they responded decisively to strategic twists and extracted the best result possible.
He ran the medium compound during the early stints and maintained a competitive pace. When the late Safety Car appeared, Alpine immediately reacted and switched him to the soft tyres. That call allowed Gasly to defend his position strongly and push toward the cars ahead.
“It was a more challenging Sunday for us but, all in all, it is a good outcome for us to score points today,” Gasly said. “It has been a challenging start to the season, quite a difficult triple header in recent weeks for us and we knew, as a team, after Monaco, we needed to bounce back here in Barcelona with some points.”
Smart call at Safety Car pays off
Gasly closed in on Isack Hadjar during the closing laps but did not find the time or grip to mount an attack. However, Max Verstappen’s time penalty handed him an extra position, officially classifying him in eighth.
“Qualifying was really good but we seem to struggle more on Sundays,” he added. “We have plenty to review from today’s race as I was pretty relieved to see the Safety Car near the end and the team did a great job to make the right call to give me a free gap to pit for fresh tyres.”
Despite the points finish, Alpine dropped to tenth in the Constructors’ Championship. Nico Hülkenberg’s impressive fifth-place finish for Kick Sauber lifted the Swiss-based outfit above Alpine in the standings.
Colapinto fights from the rear but finds few rewards
While Gasly brought home points, Colapinto faced a vastly different challenge with Alpine at the 2025 F1 Spanish GP. The Argentine rookie started from the back of the grid and worked his way up to 15th by the chequered flag. He gained valuable experience but left the circuit disappointed by the lack of tangible reward.
“It was a disappointing afternoon and a tough race,” he admitted. “We had better pace today than earlier in the weekend, which is a positive but it is a tricky circuit to overtake so it was generally a hard one to manage and make any progress.”
Colapinto found himself stuck in traffic and struggled with tyre degradation due to the turbulent air from cars ahead. He acknowledged that poor qualifying performance put him on the back foot from the start.
“The tyres were suffering a lot in the dirty air, which made things even more difficult. It goes to show how important track position is in races and I know there is more to improve on that front on my side, especially maximising the car’s potential on low fuel [in Qualifying],” he said.
Alpine leaves Barcelona with mixed emotions
Alpine leaves Spain with both encouragement and disappointment. Gasly’s calm execution under pressure proved that the team can still compete in the midfield, but Colapinto’s struggles highlighted the need for sharper qualifying results and better race-day execution.
With the Canadian GP next on the calendar, Alpine must respond quickly to close the gap to their immediate rivals. The battle for the lower end of the Constructors’ standings remains extremely tight—and every point could shape the outcome of the season.
