Pierre Gasly And Jack Doohan Give Initial Alpine Feedback After A525 Shakedown In Bahrain

In Bahrain, Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan have shared their first impressions of the A525 after an initial shakedown at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Gasly is now in his third season with Alpine. His teammate, Jack Doohan, is a fresh addition to the main roster after serving as a reserve driver and making his debut at the end of 2024 during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The shakedown in Bahrain involved a 200km-restricted program, which is standard for testing broadcasts. The day comes ahead of pre-season testing later this week.

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The official pre-season test in Bahrain is scheduled to begin on Wednesday February 26 and will run for three days. Doohan will start the tests on the morning of February 26, with Gasly taking over in the afternoon. The rotations will continue, with Gasly concluding the tests on Friday afternoon. This testing schedule allows both drivers to familiarize themselves with the car ahead of the season-opening race in Australia on March 14-16.

Revealing his initial thoughts on the car, Gasly commented in a press release sent to F1 on SI:

“It is a great feeling to be back on track and driving the A525 for the first time. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to this car and all the hard work that has gone into preparing this season.

"It is only a shakedown, limited running, so it’s not like we are driving the car at its full potential but the initial feeling felt smooth and I am just looking forward to getting going and having a proper run later this week for official pre-season testing. I must say, the new colours look really cool so I hope everyone enjoys seeing the A525 in action.”

Doohan also commented:

“We have had a good first day on-track here in Bahrain and I am sure everyone at the team feels really excited to be back and ready now to start the season. It is my first time driving a shakedown day so a great experience, especially driving on track with the filming vehicles!

"The car felt good so thanks to everyone at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon for their time and dedication in getting ready for 2025. I know Pierre and I are really excited for Wednesday and beginning pre-season testing. It will be three busy days where we have many things to run through in order to develop the A525 ahead of the season start.”

Team principal Oliver Oakes stated:

“It is always a moment of pride when a new car goes on track for the first time so well done to everyone at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon for their hard work in developing the A525 ahead of this season.

"Despite the overcast and strong gusts of wind, we have had a good day’s running in Bahrain with 200km completed split evenly between Pierre and Jack. It is important to give them a first go each and allow them both to have a first feeling at the wheel ahead of a busy three days of testing later this week.

"There are certainly multiple areas of interest for us to keep learning and progressing and we look forward to continuing the hard work beginning on Wednesday with Jack driving the morning and Pierre the afternoon.”

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