Oakes: You always want to be quicker, I'm very impatient!

Oakes admitted: “That is going to be difficult. Throughout these regulations, there are some teams that have stolen a march. McLaren made a jump and so did Aston Martin before falling back a little bit. You are always hopeful you will get a bit closer, but we want to do a good job and produce a good car.

“The disappointment at the beginning of last year took a lot of energy from the team and we had to work hard to catch up. We want to keep our heads down and start on the right footing," added the Alpine team principal, beginning his first full season at the helm of the French team.

Since taking charge, Oakes believes the team has been making positive strides but remains realistic about the scale of the challenge ahead: “It was hard for me to judge before I was there, but from the moment I arrived in the team there was a strong spirit – they were trying to turn things around. Obviously, you always want to be quicker, I’m very impatient!"

Oakes continued: “But you can see inside the team we are in a really good place. It's an exciting year, we want to continue where we left off. Those results – Brazil, Qatar, Abu Dhabi – we were in the fight right at the front of the midfield."

Looking beyond 2025, Oakes is taking a measured approach to the significant regulatory changes arriving in 2026: “I am pragmatic about 2026, but right now, the focus is on starting this year strongly."

Like their rivals, Alpine took to the track on Wednesday as the 2025 Formula 1 season officially got underway with pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan shared duties in the Alpine A525, with Doohan completing the morning session before handing over to Gasly for the afternoon running. The Australian rookie is set for a full season as Alpine’s reserve driver while continuing his development within the team’s setup.

The three-day test in Bahrain serves as the only official running before the season opener at the same venue on 16 March.