Bahrain, land of redemption for Alpine ?

After three rounds played in 2025, Alpine points to last place among constructors. It is the only team not to have scored any points since the start of the season.Following a difficult Grand Prix in Japan, the French team hopes to bounce back in Bahrain and finally score its first points.

« Suzuka was a challenging weekend for the team. In the race, the car felt good, the balance was there, but like most of the field, we were stuck behind the car right in front of us, has explained Pierre Gasly, thirteenth on Japanese soil last Sunday. We're a little lacking in some areas, and we know where we can improve our package. Qualifying feels more important than ever with just two tenths of a second spanning several cars, so optimizing every last detail is crucial. We leave Japan knowing what we need to do to find a little more pace."

Despite a disastrous start to the season, the Norman remains hopeful and is counting on the Sakhir circuit, where the teams carried out pre-season tests, to perform better and place his car in the top ten places on Sunday. I'm looking forward to returning to Bahrain this week. We performed well during winter testing. It's a circuit where tire degradation is very pronounced, but we know what to expect after the three days of testing in February. We hope to build on our pre-season pace and aim for a top-ten finish."

Doohan expected at the turning point

While Pierre Gasly is currently suffering from a car that is incapable of performing anything, his driving has been beyond reproach since the start of the season. It's hard to say the same about his teammate Jack Doohan who, despite being granted leniency due to his rookie status, has made a series of unnecessary blunders – a crash in Australia, penalty points in China, his accident in EL2 in Japan – which tarnish his debut in the premier class of motorsport. Thus, Bahrain will be an opportunity for the Australian driver to launch his season on a circuit he knows well given that he has competed there in the promotional formula, in Formula 2 then in Formula 1 during the winter tests. He will be obliged to do better because behind him, the reserve drivers, like Franco Colapinto, are eager to steal the Australian's seat.

« I know the Bahrain circuit well, we had three good days of pre-season testing there in February and we intend to make the most of it, explained the Australian pilot. The goal will be to prepare for qualifying and be well placed to aim for points on Sunday."

It's worth noting that Jack Doohan isn't the only one within the team who needs to do better. Since the beginning of the year, the French team's pit stops have left something to be desired and have wasted precious seconds for drivers looking for their first points. Bahrain will therefore be an opportunity for the entire team to remobilize and obtain an encouraging result because, if Alpine is already focusing on 2026, we should not make 2025 a fiasco...

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