Francophone assessment: Pierre Gasly is still showing up
Thanks to a very good pace in qualifying and perfect race management, Pierre Gasly gave himself all the tools to finish once again in the points in his home race.
For the 5th time this 2021 Formula 1 season, Pierre Gasly qualified in the Top 6. At the wheel of his modest AlphaTauri, the Normand beat cars like Ferrari or McLaren.
Initially, despite the attacks of Charles Leclerc, the Normandian held his position but could not keep up with Carlos Sainz’s pace. Resisting on the track against Leclerc and Ricciardo, it was through strategy that the Frenchman lost his 6th place, with the undercut being far too effective.
He then experienced a second relay filled with actions with an intense battle with Lando Norris where the two men nearly collided in the Bosset as they were forced to leave the track. Then, there was a battle with Carlos Sainz, this time to surpass him: « There were some very hot moments but after that, it’s the race we love. I think that overall we managed to catch up with the two Ferraris and fight with the very fast McLaren so there are positive aspects.
During the rest of the race, Pierre Gasly tried to put pressure on Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages, but it was too late and the AlphaTauri driver had to settle for his position, synonymous with six points for his championship and that of his team.
It is a season’s beginning which has been handled smoothly for Pierre Gasly, who, after not scoring any points during the first race of the season, rectified this mistake by consistently staying in the Top 10 since then: « For us, objectively, it was a very good race. We finished 7th, the 4th strongest on the field. Then, I think at the moment of the pitstop, we let Ricciardo and Leclerc overtake us, so we came back out in traffic which damaged our tires. »
The resident of Milan also took the opportunity to highlight the progress he has made and what his experience of 70 Grand Prix brings him in circumstances that are not ideal: « I think I have really evolved well with the team. We are doing excellent work and I have also matured and gained experience a bit, so today with the car I had, it was very complicated, I felt off pace but I try to find solutions to limit the damage in this kind of situation.
