Alpine's Gasly Calls A526 His 'Best F1 Car Ever' After Beating Verstappen

The French driver secured a seventh-place finish at the Japanese Grand Prix, outpacing the four-time world champion.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 8:37am

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A fractured, geometric painting depicting the shapes and forms of a Formula 1 race, with the cars and driver's helmet deconstructed into sharp, overlapping planes of color.An abstract, Cubist interpretation of the intense on-track battle between Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the Japanese Grand Prix.Today in Miami

Pierre Gasly described Alpine's 2026 Formula 1 car, the A526, as the best he's ever driven after finishing seventh at the Japanese Grand Prix and beating reigning champion Max Verstappen. Gasly was able to pull away from the pack early on before a safety car bunched up the field, but he then held off intense pressure from Verstappen in the closing laps to take the chequered flag 0.337 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver.

Why it matters

Gasly's strong performance in the Alpine, which has shown steady improvement over the first three races, has the team optimistic about their chances of challenging the top teams this season. The car's pace has allowed Gasly to score points in all three grands prix so far, putting him eighth in the drivers' championship ahead of Verstappen.

The details

Gasly qualified seventh in the last three sessions, including the sprint race, and was faster than both Red Bulls on each occasion. In the Japanese Grand Prix, he was able to build a comfortable three-second gap to Verstappen before a safety car erased his advantage. Gasly then held off intense pressure from the four-time world champion in the closing laps, regaining the position when Verstappen briefly passed him on lap 48.

  • Gasly qualified seventh in the last three sessions, including the sprint race.
  • In the Japanese Grand Prix, Gasly built a three-second gap to Verstappen before a safety car.
  • Gasly held off Verstappen's pressure in the final 26 laps to take the chequered flag 0.337 seconds ahead.

The players

Pierre Gasly

A 30-year-old French Formula 1 driver currently racing for the Alpine team.

Max Verstappen

The reigning Formula 1 world champion, driving for the Red Bull team.

Alpine

The French Formula 1 team that Gasly currently drives for, having sacrificed their 2025 campaign to focus on the new 2026 technical regulations.

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What they’re saying

“It was a long race, I must say, with a lot of pressure. Early in the race, I was quite comfortable with the mediums. But there have been many safety cars this year, so I knew it was bound to happen at some point.”

— Pierre Gasly, Alpine Driver

“The second part of the race was a bit different. He put huge pressure on me throughout the race, so I really had to focus to try and be as fast as possible – there was no management with those tyres – and make no mistake, because he was very, very close.”

— Pierre Gasly, Alpine Driver

“I think, for now, this is the best car I've had in my career, perhaps alongside the 2021 AlphaTauri.”

— Pierre Gasly, Alpine Driver

What’s next

Gasly and Alpine will look to continue their strong start to the season at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix, where they hope to further close the gap to the leading teams.

The takeaway

Gasly's impressive performance in the Alpine A526, which he has described as the best car he's ever driven, has the team optimistic about their chances of challenging the top teams this season. Their steady progress over the first three races has allowed Gasly to score points in every grand prix so far, putting him ahead of reigning champion Verstappen in the drivers' championship.