In what has been a tough season for Alpine, with management changes and Renault’s big decision to end its F1 engine plans for 2026, the team finally found some success at the São Paulo Grand Prix with both drivers finishing on the podium.

Esteban Ocon, who is leaving the Enstone team at the end of the season for Haas, claimed second, followed by Pierre Gasly close behind in third.

This surprise result gave Alpine a much-needed boost and helped them climb three spots in the Constructors' Championship. By scoring 33 points, which is more than they have scored throughout the 2024 season over all, the team moved ahead of Haas and RB, now trailing Aston Martin by just 37 points.

The race weekend at Interlagos wasn’t easy at all for the team. During the postponed qualifying, Ocon managed to secure a starting spot of P4, but Gasly had to settle for P13 after getting stuck in traffic during the session.

However, their race strategy paid off. When Franco Colapinto’s crash brought out a red flag, both Alpine drivers were able to change their tyres without losing time, giving them an advantage on the slippery track.

As the race restarted, Ocon briefly led but couldn’t hold off Max Verstappen, who overtook him early on. Still, both Ocon and Gasly held their positions in second and third, keeping strong in the closing laps. Gasly also defended well against George Russell, securing his podium spot.

Ultimately, this race proved to be not only Alpine's best performance of the season but also their second strongest result since the team was rebranded from Renault in 2021.

Speaking after the race to F1 TV, Gasly said: “Yesterday the pace in the dry was good, I finished seventh. This morning we had a very poor quali, a couple of incidents, we didn’t get a lap in Q2 so we started far and managed to make 10 positions.

“I’m absolutely buzzing right now! I’m just so proud of the team. To overcome such a tough season… it would have been too easy to give up but we never gave up and here we are. Both cars P2 and P3, a lot of points for the team and everyone should be very proud today.

“It’s incredible for the whole team. We had such a tough season, we’ve struggled to score points. 

“In these conditions everything was possible. No one believed it until the end – two cars on the podium, I don’t think anyone would have got that on their bingo card ahead of this season. It’s just fantastic.”

Ocon then added: “What a day that was.

“After the difficult season, it’s really nice to be driving around here and having the performance a bit levelled out in the rain.

“Someone very important [referring to Ayrton Senna] to all of us said a long time ago that in the rain, the cars are almost equal. That phrase didn’t age at all, and I’m very happy to be today on the podium.

“I think it’s been awesome, and the support I receive here from all the Brazilian fans is incredible. I can’t thank everyone enough.

“The car was extremely difficult in the dry. I felt that ease when it started to rain this morning, and last night I really wanted to get some laps in the rain.

“I really love it here when it rains. Today has brought a special race for us.”