Pierre Gasly could stick with Alpine for the future, despite the Renault works team's current performance crisis.
Currently, after a period of management and shareholding turmoil, the team emerged from the recent winter off-season with probably the slowest F1 car in 2024.
Gasly admits it won't be a quick fix.
"I think we're not looking ahead two or three weeks, but rather four or six months," said the Frenchman.
But while the Toto Wolff-managed Esteban Ocon eyes a potential move to Mercedes for 2025, Gasly might prefer to look even further ahead - to the all-new 2026 rules.
Renault's is currently the least powerful engine on the grid, but McLaren driver Lando Norris says every team and manufacturer is now looking ahead to the all-new power unit rules for 2026.
"This could potentially be a big shake-up for any team, probably most so in terms of the power unit," he said.
Some think nervousness about Red Bull's own powertrain project for 2026 is one reason why Max Verstappen is considering a move to Mercedes or even Aston Martin.
"I know both sides," Gasly said, "the factory team and the customer team. And of course the ceiling is higher for the factory team," he is quoted by Speed Week.
"There is no limit if you are a manufacturer. You can set your own limits and invest as much as you want."
Also unavoidable, however, is the realisation that Alpine's current underperformance and turmoil could simply be carried over from 2025 to 2026.
Gasly insists: "It's not that we don't know what we're doing or because the car concept doesn't work, but it's very important that we are able to find solutions and understand what's happening."
