Pierre Gasly was shocked to end up “very close to pole” in Bahrain F1 GP

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly says it’s “crazy” that he was able to qualify on the second row of the grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alpine has made a woeful start to the 2025 Formula 1 season and remains the only team to score a point after the opening three rounds.

But the A525 appears genuinely quick around the Bahrain International Circuit this week, with Gasly set to take the start in fourth place after a penalty for Mercedes rival Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Last year, Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Gasly qualified 19th and 20th in Bahrain, making the French team’s turnaround all the more impressive.

“We were in a very different picture [compared to 12 months ago],” said Gasly. “I’m so happy, honestly.

“It was a very special lap in Q2 and Q3. You get this excitement coming out of the last corner after your lap. I knew it was good, I didn't expect it to be that good relative to the others.

“I’m just happy for the whole team because it hasn't been easy these first few races. Even this weekend has been quite tricky, even in Q1 I didn’t feel fully comfortable in the car, but step-by-step [[with] little things, we managed to put that off.”

Gasly’s best effort of 1m30.216s was less than four-tenths slower than Oscar Piastri’s time in the pole-sitting McLaren.

The 29-year-old also lapped just 0.041s slower than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who will start the race in second after a one-place grid drop for George Russell.

“That's mad. Honestly, it's crazy,” he said when told about the gap to Piastri. “Very close to pole and even to P3 I was four hundredths [off].

“When I saw [it] on the screen I was mad. It is so tight.”

Gasly’s teammate Jack Doohan qualified 11th on the grid, missing out on his first Q3 berth by just 0.017s to Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda.

For Gasly, the performance of the two Alpines in Bahrain qualifying is proof that the A525 has the potential to succeed in F1.

“I'm just really pleased because it really shows there is potential in the car which I believe [in] and I can feel it,” he said.

“The window is extremely narrow but we do need these first points for the team. I'm looking forward to the fight tomorrow.”