Styria – in qualifying, a rainy and happy Saturday for the French Ocon (5th) and Gasly (8th)!
Very good provisional result for Esteban Ocon, solid 5th in the Styria Grand Prix qualifying in his Renault. In 8th, Pierre Gasly was also very convincing for AlphaTauri. Disaster, however, for Romain Grosjean (20th), once again let down by his Haas!
Esteban Ocon (5th)
Behind an unprecedented top 3, behind Lewis Hamilton’s stellar performance more than a second ahead of everyone, or even behind the surprise of Sainz (3rd for McLaren), there was also the very solid Q3 from Esteban Ocon this Saturday!
For his second Grand Prix since returning to F1, the Renault driver pulled out all the stops throughout the qualifying sessions, run on a wet track.
In the top 10 in Q1 and Q2, Esteban Ocon did it again in Q3 by setting a good time on his final flying lap: 1:20.701, which briefly put him in third place… before landing in fifth, overshadowed by Sainz and Bottas.
“It was great! It was really a good qualifying: the car was sound,” exclaimed Esteban Ocon to Laurent Dupin for Canal+ in the paddock.
« It really feels good to get back to Q3 and to experience sensations like that, so it’s cool! »
Perfectionist, Ocon still pointed out that there were things that could have been managed better: 3rd or 4th would have been manageable, conceded the teammate of Daniel Ricciardo (the Australian finished 9th in Q3).
« We didn’t have new tires for Q3 but it’s a good starting position: we know we have a good car in the dry during the race, it’s all positive » Ocon rejoiced behind his mask.
With this confidence « every time there are qualifiers in the rain, it goes well, so I’m happy! » We understand him, with his strong performances on a rainy lap; remember Monza 2017 (6th) or the third place earned at Spa in 2018 driving a Force India.
For this Sunday’s Grand Prix, the race on dry conditions should be fine! We saw we had good speed during FP2 and also last week in the race… so it should be fine, hammered Ocon, confident in his strength!
« We didn’t have new tires for Q3 but it’s a good starting position: we know we have a good car in dry conditions for the race, it’s all positive »
Pierre Gasly (8th, 7th on the grid after Norris’s penalty)
In the same vein, the other Norman in the paddock had a perfect qualifying session! As in last Sunday’s race, Pierre Gasly maximized the potential of his AlphaTauri on a tricky track, ultimately finishing 8th in qualifying. An 8th place that turned into 7th after Lando Norris received a three-place penalty for passing… the Frenchman under yellow flag during free practice.
« Frankly, it was very intense but very enjoyable: these are conditions I appreciate » reacted Pierre Gasly, like a fish in water on the Red Bull Ring.
« We knew it was going to be complicated: we managed to reach our first Q3 of the year, so it’s very positive. I think overall we can be satisfied with the qualifiers!
Now, the hardest part remains for Gasly, who doesn’t have the seventh-best car on the grid in pure performance. The 2016 GP2 champion is aware of it:
« We know that we have faster cars around us in optimal conditions (editor’s note: on dry conditions). We will fight and try to do our best. Last week we started 12th, now we start 7th: there is something positive and we will have to try to capitalize in these conditions. »
This Saturday, Gasly clearly won the garage battle against Daniil Kvyat, with a one-second lead over the Russian in Q2, when it really mattered.
The Frenchman delightedly returned to Q3: the last time he started so well, his race ended with a podium finish: 2nd place in Brazil in 2019, after starting from 6th on the grid!
We know that there are faster cars around us in optimal conditions (editor’s note: on dry surfaces). We’ll fight and try to do our best.
Ocon and Gasly in any case were ahead of their French-speaking compatriot Charles Leclerc, 11th and out at the end of Q2. For the Monegasque, there is simply a performance deficit with the Ferrari SF1000, even in the rain!
Romain Grosjean (20th)
Every weekend brings its problem for the third Frenchman of the group! After brake issues last weekend, Romain Grosjean this time was a victim of an air-water exchanger problem, which particularly affected the temperature of his tires… dropping to 45 degrees at the start of the session.
Not very talkative, the Haas driver indicated that his car wasn’t recovering energy and it was, in any case, difficult to drive. Grosjean completed only one lap, which ended with a trip into the gravel trap at the third corner. Unless another driver incurs a last-minute penalty, he will start in the last position for the second Grand Prix of the season, kicking off this Sunday at 15:10 at the Red Bull Ring!
