Assessment of the French: All smiles for Romain Grosjean, more challenging for Ocon and Gasly

Romain Grosjean (Haas): 6th

Since the start of winter testing, Haas has positioned itself as one of the pleasant surprises of the year. The American team was therefore at the center of attention for observers during the qualifying sessions. It is clear that they did not disappoint as both of their drivers easily qualified for Q3.

Thus, Haas positioned itself as the best team behind the top 3 by taking the 5th and 6th places, thanks to the three-place penalty for Daniel Ricciardo. The only small downside for the Frenchman is that he is outperformed by his teammate, Kevin Magnussen, who managed to go 0.15 seconds faster than him.

But for once, Romain Grosjean only talked about the positives at the end of the session: « Everyone is very happy, and it proves all the hard work of the entire team. Our result somewhat confirms what we saw during the winter tests. I can attack as much as I want, which obviously makes me very happy. It’s good work from Kevin to have both cars on the third grid tomorrow. It will be fantastic to be there. Points are possible. »

The battle with the Renaults promises to be very close, but it seems possible that the team could experience the same sensations as during its first Grand Prix two years ago, when Romain Grosjean finished in 6th position.

Esteban Ocon (Sahara Force India): 15th

Last year, Sahara Force India easily finished in 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship. But this season, the Silverstone team seems somewhat behind. Thus, the two drivers were unable to go beyond Q2, with Sergio Perez finishing 13th and Esteban Ocon only 15th, seven-tenths behind his teammate.

The young Norman did not hide his disappointment after the qualifying session: « It was a difficult session, especially in Q2 where I struggled a lot with the front and locked the tires. It was also difficult to find space in the traffic. We had a big task of trying to understand the new upgrades, and it didn’t help us to lose dry running time. »

Indeed, Sahara Force India chose to arrive in Melbourne with numerous upgrades compared to the car seen in Barcelona. The team had a lot to learn about the functioning of their car. Therefore, they were particularly penalized by the rain that flooded the track for the last session on Friday morning.

But the team expects its race pace to be faster than its pace on a flying lap. Both drivers are therefore aiming for points, especially since Melbourne is often an elimination race between teething problems with the cars and off-track excursions: « This is one of those races where simply finishing gives you a chance to achieve a good result. »

Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso): 20th

For Toro Rosso, this first qualification turned into a major disappointment. During the Barcelona tests, the Faenza cars were able to lap at a relatively fast pace, which offered a striking contrast compared to previous editions when the Honda engine powered the McLarens.

But in Melbourne, the outcome is very disappointing since both cars were unable to get out of Q1. It’s even worse for Pierre Gasly who recorded the slowest time of the session. He could only regret his mistake during his last attempt: “I am very disappointed because this is not the qualifying we had envisioned. I think we had the potential to move on to Q2. It was very tight after the first run, but I pushed too hard and locked the tires… It was over because it was the only lap we had, and by pushing too hard, I made a mistake.”

He consoled himself by saying that at the third turn, where he missed his braking, he was two tenths ahead of his teammate, Brendon Hartley. But the result is there and the young driver is preparing for a tough race on a circuit where overtaking is far from easy.