Belgium – French Evaluation: Good Recovery for Pierre Gasly
After his demotion from Red Bull to Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly had to prove this weekend that he fully deserved his place in Formula 1 and that he hadn't lost his speed. It's a less positive return for Romain Grosjean, who has plummeted in the standings.
Pierre Gasly: 9th (13th on the grid)
In qualifications, the French driver was caught out in Q1 due to a red flag caused by Sergio Perez’s engine failure. Eliminated in 16th place, he couldn’t even attempt to move into the second phase of qualifying. Fortunately for him, penalties given to other drivers allowed him to start 13th on the grid.
After a turbulent start that saw some drivers make contact with each other, Gasly avoided all the problems and moved up to 9th. Stuck behind Perez for a few laps, the straight-line speed of the Racing Point made the pink car a formidable weapon on the straight. The Mexican overtook Magnussen on lap 10, and the Norman followed a lap later to take 8th place.
Unable to overtake the number 11 driver, Gasly made a pit stop quite early in the race as he got rid of his soft tires as early as the 13th lap. While at Red Bull, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner complained that the Norman was having trouble overtaking, he pulled off one of the most beautiful overtakes of the race.
Unfortunately, that’s about it for Pierre Gasly. Sure, he finished in 9th place, but he can thank Giovinazzi and Norris for experiencing a crash and a mechanical issue, respectively. Without that, his result would have been a complete zero.
« I had fun, but afterwards we knew it would be complicated staying with the old engine. So, I think that once we put in the new engine next weekend, we should be able to fight even more. »
Romain Grosjean: 13th (9th on the grid)
Eliminated in Q2 by a few hundredths, Grosjean was disappointed not to have made it into the Top 10. But it was probably a blessing in disguise. Indeed, thanks to the other drivers’ engine penalties, the Frenchman was 9th on the grid and could also choose his tires to start the race.
The Frenchman was one of the big winners from the chaotic start. 6th up to the 17th lap, before his first pit stop. An incredible performance given the low form of the VF19 this weekend. While the Haas drivers lamented a very poor race pace during Free Practice: « On the more negative side, I think our race pace is not there, so I’m a little worried for Sunday »; Romain Grosjean benefited from the clear air to stay comfortably ahead of Perez, although he was largely outpaced by Lando Norris’s McLaren.
Unlike his first stint, driver number 8 experienced a true ordeal in his second run. Stuck in traffic and therefore in a dirty air flow, the American single-seater was overtaken by all its pursuers. Grosjean even complained to his team on the radio, stating that there was nothing better to do.
« We found ourselves behind Ricciardo’s Renault. He fought hard, and it was impossible to overtake him. We had too much aerodynamic drag and not enough top speed. It’s not a choice or an option; we just had to make the tires work, but it was very difficult. I was very happy with my driving, we were fighting constantly, but it’s hard to swallow when you go from sixth to 13th place. It’s tough not having been able to do anything. »
