Spinning the wheels

The first race in the final triple-header of the year took BWT Alpine Formula One Team to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and another high-stakes weekend in a city dominated by high-rise hotels and casinos. Right in the heart of the city lies The Venetian, the stunning Venice-themed hotel which became our team hub for the weekend. One of our show cars was even displayed in the stunning Grand Colonnade - the lobby of the beautiful resort.

During his stay at The Venetian, Franco enjoyed a gondola ride, doing his best to keep in tune with the singing gondolier. He was more vocal on Media Day, wearing the team’s new ApeCoin Driver Jersey and New Era Vegas Special Edition cap while appearing in the FIA Drivers’ Press Conference.

For the remaining Grands Prix of the season, our A525s have gone ‘ALPINK’ in recognition of our Title Sponsor BWT. On the streets of Vegas, we also ran special Modo Casino wheel covers that spun like high-speed roulette wheels.

Dancing on ice

Pierre kept himself busy in the days leading up to first practice. Alongside a fun pitlane and garage visit from Mickey and Minnie Mouse for him and Franco, Pierre also headed to the T-Mobile Arena for an NHL game on Tuesday night, watching the Vegas Golden Knights beat the New York Rangers 3-2. Wearing a bespoke golden #10 ‘Gasly Knights’ shirt, he even received a shout out on the giant Jumbotron above the rink.

If Pierre was impressed by the hockey stars gliding across the ice, he might have picked up a few tips for the weekend’s running on the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Overnight rain and ice-cold temperatures left the track extremely slippery for the opening day of practice and conditions deteriorated even further for a wet Qualifying session on Friday night.

Appearing on the side of the halo on both A525s during the weekend was SEALSQ, marking the beginning of an exciting new partnership built on SEALSQ’s cutting-edge expertise in Semiconductors, PKI and Post-Quantum technology hardware and software.

Bright lights, big city

As the sun set on Thursday evening, the neon glow intensified as the cars ran on track for the first time. Early in the session, Pierre went straight to the top of the timesheets, quickly finding his rhythm at a circuit where he qualified fourth on its debut in 2023 and third last year.

He was quickest again at the start of FP2 and was soon joined by Franco, making it a 1–2 for the team in the early stages. Despite the damp, chilly conditions - and a late interruption for two red flags at the end of FP2 that prevented full run programmes - both drivers completed 90 laps across the C4 Medium and C5 Soft compounds.

“It’s been an encouraging day for us today. I felt good in the car from the start of Practice, which is important, especially at a difficult track like this where you need confidence in the car to take enough risk,” said Pierre. Franco admitted he wasn’t quite as comfortable as his team-mate with balance and grip, but worked hard overnight to improve the setup for Friday’s Qualifying.

Magical mystery tour

Las Vegas is known for its troupes of entertainers, from Elvis impersonators to roulette dealers and card magicians. While Pierre and Franco did their best to shuffle a deck, they were particularly impressed by the magic of the Fan Forum, where, as always, they received a tremendous welcome from the passionate U.S. fanbase.

Vegas also hosted the final round of F1 Academy. In Race 1, Alpine Academy driver Nina Gademan led away from reverse-grid pole. In a dramatic contest, she claimed her fourth podium of the season with P2, and finished seventh in Race 2 the following day. She ended the season sixth in the standings with 74 points.

After limited running in FP3 due to rain, Qualifying became especially fraught. The cold conditions made tyre warm-up virtually impossible, leaving the slow corners treacherous under acceleration. After initially heading out on intermediates, both drivers immediately switched to full wets for the session.

In extremely difficult conditions, both progressed to Q2. Pierre then delivered a brilliant final lap as the track slowly improved to reach Q3, despite the constant fight to keep the car pointing in the right direction. Full of adrenaline afterwards, he described the session as “one of the hardest” he has experienced in Formula One.

On his final push lap, Franco produced a wild slide after tapping the kerb exiting Turn 15 - described by TV commentators as an “unbelievable save!” - with replays showing him momentarily taking his hand off the wheel to help apply opposite lock.

“Today’s Qualifying underlines the high-quality skill level of all drivers in Formula One at the moment,” said Managing Director Steve Nielsen. “The conditions were extremely tough, so credit to both Pierre and Franco for doing a really solid job throughout, especially to advance through Q1 when the conditions were most extreme.”

One final throw of the dice

Starting tenth and fifteenth on the grid, the run down to the first corner in Las Vegas - one of the shortest of the year - proved costly. As the pack concertinaed together, both drivers were hit from behind. Gabriel Bortoleto out-braked himself and struck Lance Stroll, who in turn spun Pierre around causing significant damage to the number 10 car. Further back, Franco was hit by Alex Albon and he too sustained damage which he was forced to carry for the remainder of the race.

Pierre pitted at the end of lap two for a new set of Hards, which he ran to the flag to finish P15. Franco started on Hards and stopped on lap 25 for new Mediums, crossing the line in 17th. Both drivers were later promoted two places in the final classification after the disqualification of the McLarens.

We raced on Sunday in memory of Christophe Chapelain, who worked at Viry-Châtillon for 12 years across various projects including as Chief Engineer of the Alpine WEC programme, and who was also a key figure in Formula E. Christophe leaves a great void for all who had the privilege of working alongside him.

It’s a quick pack-up as we head across the globe to Qatar for a Sprint weekend and race 23 of 24. Las Vegas and Qatar are contrasting but equally challenging venues - and both are a pleasure to visit. Don’t forget you could be in with a chance of choosing to visit either of these Grands Prix next year by entering our Golden Ticket competition for a chance to attend any race, any country in 2026. Enter now.