Alpine may have to replace one or both of their drivers for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have both reportedly grown unsettled at the team.
That’s not particularly surprising when you consider their recent drop-off. Alpine have arguably regressed more than anybody else this year, having scored just one point in the first six races.
This was a team who amassed 120 last year en route to sixth place in the championship. But they got their first attempt at the A524 horribly wrong.
Upheaval away from the race track won’t have helped matters either. There has been an exodus from Enstone in the past year, with CEO Laurent Rossi and team principal Otmar Szafnauer among those to lose their jobs.
The crisis at the team grew so severe that there was even talk of a potential sale. A spokesperson for the Enstone outfit did deny this, however.
Still, Gasly and Ocon are now exploring their options elsewhere as they approach the end of their contracts. Toto Wolff, who manages the Frenchman, is trying to place him at Williams.
Valtteri Bottas now a 2025 option for Alpine
According to F1 Insider, Valtteri Bottas could be a candidate for Alpine if Ocon and/or Gasly move on. His management team will be aware of a potential vacancy with the French brand.
Bottas is at risk of losing his seat at Sauber and has said he’s in talks with a couple of teams, including Williams. This comes after Andreas Seidl signed Nico Hulkenberg for the 2025 season.
Previous reports have suggested that Bottas’ teammate Zhou Guanyu is also a contender for the Alpine seat. Audi are also determined to sign Carlos Sainz, which could spell the end for both Sauber drivers.
They could also promote former F2 driver and current reserve Jack Doohan. They’re keen to find a poster boy for their academy.
What Lewis Hamilton has said about Valtteri Bottas
Bottas would bring race-winning pedigree to a new team next year. He spent five years at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate during the Silver Arrows’ heyday.
While he wasn’t able to compete for the title himself in that period, he did bag 10 wins, 20 pole positions and 67 pole podiums. With 228 race starts under his belt too, he’s an attractive proposition.
Hamilton has also spoken glowingly of Bottas as an individual (via GPBlog). He regards him as the ‘best teammate’ of his Formula 1 career and has called him a real ‘gentleman’.
This could be exactly the kind of figure Alpine need to unite the team after a fractious period. And he could also help to mentor a younger teammate like Doohan if indeed there’s a wholesale change to the line-up.
While Bottas would likely have been keen to stay at Sauber until their highly-anticipated transition to Audi, Alpine represent a strong alternative. They’re backed by another giant manufacturer in Renault, so he’ll see plenty of untapped potential there.
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