Pierre Gasly scores a point as Alpine’s upgrade shows progress

Pierre Gasly left the Dutch Grand Prix with one point and a positive first assessment of Alpine’s latest upgrade. He finished tenth on Sunday after taking eighth place in the Sprint, giving the team points in both races at Zandvoort.

The result did not come from a smooth afternoon. Gasly avoided Max Verstappen’s opening-lap crash, restarted in eighth place and then lost time during the middle of the race. He recovered enough ground to protect the final points position.

Gasly felt more confident with the new parts

Alpine brought a significant package after waiting while its midfield rivals introduced their own changes. Only Gasly received the full set in the Netherlands. Franco Colapinto is expected to use the same version at the next race in Monza. Gasly felt more comfortable during the Sprint than in the main Grand Prix, but he still described the overall direction as positive. The car reached the final part of Sprint qualifying and competed directly with Racing Bulls and Audi.

The new parts do not solve every weakness in one weekend. Engineers now have data from dry laps, damp conditions, two starts and several tyre compounds. That information will guide the setup for the next circuit.

Gasly stayed clear of the opening accident

Gasly started eleventh and gained places immediately. Verstappen then lost control ahead of him on the first lap. Gasly reacted quickly and avoided the damaged Red Bull and the debris left near the racing line. The race stopped while officials cleared the track and checked the barrier. At the restart, Gasly held eighth place. He remained inside the points, but the balance became less comfortable as the race continued.

Traffic and tyre behaviour cost time in the middle stint. Gasly said the team must review that part because the car had shown enough speed earlier in the weekend to expect a cleaner race.

Race stewards penalised Colapinto twice for yellow-flag violations

Colapinto began fourteenth and made one of his best starts of the season. His progress ended when officials penalised him for passing under yellow flags. A drive-through penalty moved him down the order. He later received an additional ten-second penalty for a second yellow-flag infringement. Colapinto argued that braking sharply on a wet, banked straight could have created another danger, but he also accepted that the stewards had recorded an infringement.

The Argentine driver crossed the line in fourteenth place. He now waits to try the new package in Italy, where Alpine will be able to compare both cars with the same specification.

Alpine scored points in both races at Zandvoort

Gasly’s eighth place in the Sprint and tenth in the Grand Prix each added one point. The total is modest, yet scoring in both contests matters for a team trying to recover fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Alpine must now separate the benefit of the new parts from the effect of the Zandvoort circuit. Monza requires less downforce and rewards strong efficiency on the straights, so the same settings will not apply.

The weekend still ended with a measurable improvement. Gasly could fight at the front of the midfield, and the car completed two demanding races. The next task is to make that level easier to repeat with both drivers.

Alpine gained useful data from Gasly’s upgraded car

Alpine introduced the package during a Sprint weekend, which limited the time available for careful comparison. Gasly had only one practice session before competitive running began. Every later lap therefore carried two purposes: fighting for position and helping the team understand the new parts.

Gasly’s tenth place gives Alpine a clear benchmark

Gasly’s result does not prove that every problem has been solved. It gives the engineers a clear reference from a complete race. They can compare tyre wear, corner speed and balance with the older package before deciding which parts should remain on the car at Monza.