Alpine End of Year Report: A season to forget

With another year of Formula One action in the books, our writers review each F1 team’s 2025 campaign and assess their performance across the season. Alpine have endured a desolate year plagued with an underperforming car, controversial driver management and their worst ever finish in the Constructors’ standings at 10th. Here’s their end of year report.

10th place in the Constructors' standings is Alpine's worst result since they joined the grid | Credit: Formula One

Pierre Gasly’s glum radio message after a gruelling season finale in Abu Dhabi aptly sums up Alpine’s season: “Well, let’s keep this car away from my side next year, please. Don’t want to see it anymore.”

The 2025 season has been a trying period for Alpine, as they’ve constantly suffered through horrible performances and flashes of hope dashed come race day. 

They entered the year with a spring in their step, coming off the back of a 2024 season that saw a miraculous double-podium for Gasly and Esteban Ocon in São Paulo, amongst several other highs. Signing Australian rookie Jack Doohan upon Ocon’s departure to Haas, Alpine hoped to build on last year's progress as a positive sign ahead of their 2026 switch to the Mercedes Power Unit.

However, the team’s trajectory from 2024 to 2025 can only be described as one step forward, two steps back. Right off the bat, the Enstone-based team struggled to close the margin on their competitors, and as the season wore on, they dropped further away from the pack. 

Aside from their uninspiring on-track performance, the team has been embroiled in internal politics and controversial driver changes. In May, it was announced that then team principal Oliver Oakes would resign, with Flavio Briatore extending his role as Executive Advisor to de facto team principal duties with immediate effect. Within 12 hours of this announcement, Doohan was replaced by Colapinto, a move spearheaded by Briatore.

Pierre Gasly had two rookie teammates this season, Jack Doohan followed by Franco Colapinto | Formula One

Overall, across 24 Grands Prix and six sprint races, Alpine were able to amass only 22 points: a far cry from the 65 points they finished the 2024 season with, and 48 points adrift of Sauber in ninth. Alpine’s paltry silver lining from this season is that their sum of 22 points breaks the record of the highest points total for the lowest placed constructor in the championship.

Drivers’ Head-to-Head Performance

Gasly takes a clean sweep in both the qualifying and race trim against the two teammates he was paired with this year in Doohan and Colapinto.

All 22 precious points were hard-earned by Gasly, as Doohan and Colapinto failed to score in both the Grand Prix and sprint format throughout the year. In the Grands Prix, Gasly recorded 11-7 against Colapinto and 4-1 against Doohan, not counting the Chinese Grand Prix where Gasly was disqualified. 

Meanwhile in qualifying, the Frenchman finished 13-5 and 5-1 against Colapinto and Doohan respectively.

Alpine’s driver management drew plenty of scrutiny this year, even as early as before the season opener due to the announcement that Colapinto would be joining Alpine as a test and reserve driver — inciting speculation that the Argentine would be ready to step in should Doohan falter. Doohan didn’t have the best start to the year, crashing out during the incredibly demanding Australian Grand Prix and recording another retirement in Miami which would be his final round.

After initially having a race-by-race contract, Colapinto secured his future at Alpine with a signing for 2026 | Credit: Formula One

Though at the time it seemed like a harsh decision from Alpine to replace Doohan after just six rounds, with his highest finish a 13th place in China, Colapinto has since had a few consistent weekends matching Gasly’s pace, and has crucially kept his car out of the walls.

Perhaps recognising that their car severely limits their drivers’ performance and that switching drivers again wouldn’t pay any dividends, Alpine have given Colapinto a contract extension for 2026, as he hopes to show more of what he’s capable of and replicate his high flying moments with Williams in 2024.

Best Moments

As Alpine soldiered on through a season-long ordeal with the A525, moments of celebration were scant. 

The team’s first taste of points came at the fourth round in Bahrain, with Gasly finishing seventh after a standout qualifying that saw the Frenchman start fifth, Alpine’s highest qualifying performance of the year.

Gasly proceeded to pick up points during the Miami sprint and Spanish Grand Prix, before the team’s biggest weekend came at the British Grand Prix. After qualifying 10th, Gasly weathered through the mixed conditions at Silverstone and rescued the team’s highest finish this season by hauling the A525 to sixth. In a race that rewarded experience and grit, Gasly pushed forward to buoy the team through a bleak season.

Gasly mastered the mixed conditions in Silverstone to secure the team's best result in 2025 | Credit: Formula One

The Frenchman further raised spirits when he recorded back-to-back points finishes after scoring a point at the following round in Belgium, but this run would prove to be a false dawn as the team then had their longest point-less streak this season that spanned seven rounds, with their final Grand Prix point coming with 10th in São Paulo.

Worst Moments

As harsh as it sounds, in a year that’s been a nightmare from start to finish, the worst moment seems to be the season itself. From team orders for 17th place at the United States Grand Prix to a disqualification in China, this year has been littered with poor moments from the team. Yet if we were to pick one point that was the absolute nadir of Alpine's season, it would be the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Alpine's worst team result on pace came at the final round | Credit: Formula One

All season long, Alpine, though the slowest package on the grid, had managed to avoid finishing 20th amongst the classified drivers on pace. That streak was broken at the season finale, when after qualifying 19th and 20th, Gasly and Colapinto failed to move up the ranks and locked out the last row as the chequered flag fell.

A result symbolic of the devastating season they’ve had, this weekend capped off Alpine’s worst Constructors’ result, finishing at the bottom of the pile for the first time in their five-year history.

Looking Ahead

Alpine can only hope that 2025 was a sign of things getting worse before they could get better ahead of 2026, when they’ll be starting on a fresh slate under the new regulations.

Though Renault did not get the celebratory last hurrah they deserved before their engines fell silent on the F1 grid, Alpine on the other hand will be desperate to start 2026 strong and extract as much performance as possible from their brand new Mercedes PU.

Gasly and Colapinto complete Alpine's 2026 line-up | Credit: Formula One

Amidst a raft of changes ranging from regulations to engine suppliers, one thing that will provide some stability for Alpine next year will be their driver line-up. Choosing to retain Gasly and Colapinto is a wise decision from the Enstone outfit, especially in Gasly’s case where the team will be counting their lucky stars that he’s signed a contract till 2028.

Whether Alpine can drag themselves back up from rock bottom will be a fascinating storyline for the upcoming season, especially since they’ll now be transitioning into a customer team from 2026 onwards.