Pierre Gasly has shared a brutally honest assessment of the Alpine team he has single-handedly carried so far this season. Gasly's 19 Drivers' Championship points are all the Enstone outfit has to show in the team standings, with neither Jack Doohan nor his replacement, Franco Colapinto, managing to get on the board.
Gasly picked up eight of his 19 points at Silverstone the weekend before last with an impressive P6 finish in the British Grand Prix. But the 29-year-old, who boasts a race win and five podiums on his CV, does not want that one-off result to mask what has otherwise been a troubling season for Alpine.
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He said: "I think last year we, overall performance related, relatively to the others, were in a much better place – considering the car was in a better place, we were on the podium – it was incredible. But this year, I feel we are in a worse place. The others have a better package, and that P6 is probably as good [as we can do]."
There has been uncertainty in the leadership department at Alpine since Oliver Oakes resigned as team principal in early May, less than a year after he was appointed.
Flavio Briatore, 75, has since taken over as the de facto leader, but a longer-term appointment is expected to be made in due course.
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Steve Nielsen has been unveiled as Alpine's new managing director - a role designed to take over Oakes' former duties. But the absence of a 'team principal' title, and the fact Nielsen has never previously led an F1 team, has sparked rumours about Christian Horner being lined up for the top job.
Horner was sacked by Red Bull last week after leading the team to eight Drivers' Championship wins and a further six Constructors' Championship titles across a two-decade stint at the helm.
It is unclear whether Alpine are planning a swoop, or whether Horner would accept another job so soon. In his farewell speech at Red Bull, the 51-year-old said: "It came as a shock to myself.
"When I arrived 20 years ago, there were a few less grey hairs. I walked into a team and did not know what to expect but I was immediately welcomed and we started to build what became a powerhouse in F1. Watching and being part of this team has been the biggest privilege of my life."