13 replies to this topic

[PitViperRacing]

Bonjour mes amis fans d'Alpine, welcome to the 2025 Alpine Team / Technical thread.

I think Alpine is likely to finish 6th or 7th this year, with eyes fully focused on 2026. Hopefully Doohan impresses and can hold onto his seat.

What are everyone's expectations/hopes for this season?

[Viryfan]

Best case scenario is a head to head between vatious midfield leaders in several 1 car teams which enables Alpine to get P5 in WCC.

I don't think they are that focused on 2026, rumour has it they promised a 10 000£ bonus for each Enstone employee if they get P5 at WCC.

[Amz964]

Hope for P5 this year. Think will be unrealistic to aim any higher.

Jack is under a lot of pressure already with the constant rumours before the season has started. Hope he can perform.

[LolaB0860]

Another season of averageness is the best they can hope for.

[Beri]

With Gasly having to do the heavy lifting, it will be difficult to aim for P5. Considering there are driver parings who should perform better. P6/P7 would be the place for Alpine I think.

[KWSN - DSM]

I rate Gasly and think he in the right car can be a top 10 driver in 2025, Doohan is a big question mark, it does not feel as if he is going to be anything special.

[danmills]

I don't think Doohan will finish the full season and suspect Flavio already has a list of drivers he plans to parachute in on trial.

 

If P5 is reachable and Doohan is compromising it, I can forsee them calling a Mercedes favour and getting Bottas in to bag some solid unspectacular drives and points with a straight Mercedes link and a potential 2026 drive at Enstone.

 

What Alpine need is an non political inert driver under zero pressure to surpass the weird team politics and dynamic.

 

Bottas is ideal.

Edited by danmills, Today, 09:37.

[KWSN - DSM]

If Doohan does get replceed it will not be by Bottas.

[KWSN - DSM]

I feel bad about already condemning Doohan.

[danmills]

Doohan was a panic consequential signing, let's be honest, and its an open secret that he's not in their long term plans. If he gets a second season anywhere I will be very shocked.

 

They're not gonna just replace him with another rookie aa first choice if he's out, not with the 2026 engine that's coming, this team is fragile and constantly on a knife edge.. 

 

Who else is left right now? They need an experienced or safe set of gloves to bring home points immediately. Ricciardo and Kmag are not gonna happen given the history.

 

Out of Zhou and Bottas, it's Bottas.

 

Carry the car with high hopes of performance improvement in 2026 and the 2027 seats, suddenly available, are attractive and contract free.

 

Perez is tied to RB otherwise I'd have said he was a contender just like Yuki if he suddenly falls foul of RB and the Aston avenue Honda link is closed.

Edited by danmills, Today, 11:46.

[BRG]

Are you Bottas's agent now?  You seem intent on trying to place him in any seat that is or conceivably might be, open.

 

If and when Apine decide to dish Doohan, there are several far more exciting possible names to be chosen, long before you get to the bottom of the barrel where Bottas and Ricciardo have sunk.  Alpine have Gasly, a safe and experienced pair of hands, so can afford to take a (very small) chance on one of the promising newer drivers.

Edited by BRG, Today, 11:50.

[Anja]

It's not like they didn't have any other options, Doohan was always said to be their second choice after Sainz. If they wanted Bottas they could've signed him then. 

[ATM]

În a normal market, that would have been a 100% correct explanation and we could have left it at that. However, given that Briatore is în charge, and apparently he's Doohan's manager no less, I feel there's more than meets the eye here. With Flavio, it always is.

[Laptom]

Will Alpine already move to Mercedes powerunits for 2025, or start from 2026 on forward?