F1, Gasly stays at Alpine. Stroll, renews with Aston Martin

Day of contract announcements, the one preceding the Austrian GP. Pierre Gasly stay at Alpine and Lance Stroll signs the discounted renewal with Aston Martin.

Gasly resta in Alpine

Pierre Gasly is staying at Alpine. The renewal of the French driver with a multi-year contract, almost taken for granted in recent weeks, was made official on the eve of the Austrian GP. It is the first decision of the transalpine team since Flavio Briatore joined as personal advisor to the president, Luca de Meo. Now it remains to be seen who will support Pierre, given that Esteban Ocon he will leave the team at the end of the season. The two have never loved each other too much. Among the options to replace him, the Italian manager would also have Carlos Sainz in mind. The Spaniard from Ferrari has not yet announced his future: while signing with the team seemed increasingly close Williamsrather than with Audi, the proposal of Briatore and the French could have reshuffled the cards. In the list of Pierre’s next teammates, other names are also circulating: the two drivers already under contract (Mick Schumacher and Jack Doohan) and the couple currently at Sauber who will become Audi in 2026, Guanyu Zhou and Valtteri Bottas.

Gasly, 28, has been driving for Alpine since last year, after leaving the former Alpha Tauri with which he won in Monza in 2022 and with her the Red Bull sphere. The best finish with the pink and black car was a third place in the Dutch GP last season. In this one, she is struggling like the whole team: 5 points in 10 games. But in Barcelona last week, coinciding with Briatore’s appointment, Pierre ranked 9th ahead of his teammate Ocon.

Stroll confirmed by dad

Lance Stroll, 25 years old, son of Lawrence, the billionaire owner of the Aston Martin – team based in Silverstone, extends his agreement with the team for the next few years to “compete in the new era of F1 regulations” reads the press release. In 2026, F1 will change the rules. “Lance has played an important role in the Aston Martin project since joining the team in 2019. He has now completed more than 150 F1 starts, with three podiums to his name. The extension gives the team an unchanged lineup for the third consecutive season, bringing valuable continuity.” There will still be Fernando Alonso next to him, at least until 2026. Lance: “I’m super happy to have committed to staying with the team for 2025 and beyond. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in the last five years, we’ve grown so much as a team and there’s still so much more to look forward to.” For him, this year, 17 points collected so far. And his podiums, over the years, have been three third places (in 2017 with Williams in Baku, in 2020 at Sakhir and in Monza with Racing Point, the former name of the team).