Gasly relishes the Verstappen challenge: 'More at stake against him'

In the 2026 season so far, Alpine has been able to battle Red Bull Racing on track. Gasly was able to take advantage of the French team's improvement this season, and scored points in all three Grands Prix so far.

In Japan, the French driver was put under pressure by Verstappen, with the two eventually crossing the finish line in seventh and eighth place.

The Frenchman says that battles with the four-time world champion are special, as he never gives up.

He said: "I mean it's not every single weekend I had the chance to fight with a four-time world champion and I'm glad to be in a position to do it with him.

Gasly is currently in eighth place in the drivers standings' with 15 points, which means he is seven points shy of his tally in 2025.

"I haven't been at the factory yet, but hopefully they'll enjoy seeing us fighting for this type of position. Quite different to last year. And it gives that boost to really get the work done and get ourselves in even better shape," Gasly concluded.