Pierre Gasly has confidence in Alpine’s improvements to turn the tide
The Alpine driver acknowledges that the team is not where they would have liked to be before the summer break, with two double retirements in particular, but he notes that the car shows signs of competitiveness. He also commented on the weather conditions in Spa.
While Alpine experienced two consecutive double retirements at Silverstone and Hungary, Pierre Gasly shared his thoughts on the first half of the season and the difficulties encountered during race weekends in an interview with journalists. He emphasized that despite promising performances at the start of the weekend, “something often ends up slipping away from them.”
Gasly noted that the free practice sessions can sometimes show signs of competitiveness, but the true picture only emerges in qualifying, where their positioning is more withdrawn from the top ten. However, he expressed his confidence in the team’s free practice process and their approach to maximize their potential in qualifying.
“We follow our process during free practice, regardless of what others do. Some teams may hide more before qualifying, but we trust in our preparation for qualifying. Even though sometimes we seem stronger, other times less so. It is the best approach to maximize our potential in qualifying, but we simply need more performance,” he explained.
Confident in the improvements
Regarding the improvement of the car’s balance, Gasly stated that they are working on several areas of improvement, but there is no specific area that is weaker than the others. He expressed his conviction that the upcoming upgrades will bring overall improvement to the car.
“We are quite confident, you know, with the upgrades we are bringing, we know that it will make the car better. It is obvious that it could be tricky to have a complete picture considering the weather conditions and the fact that it is a weekend at Spa, but I am convinced that it will make the car faster,” he said.
Poor visibility with rain
Pierre Gasly also discussed the weather forecast for the race. He expressed his enthusiasm for the possibility of racing in the rain, while also emphasizing the importance of ensuring safe racing conditions.
“I have confidence in the FIA to ensure that we race in the safest possible conditions. I think we all know that in the event of rain, I enjoy rainy conditions. It’s more challenging, it offers more opportunities, it’s, let’s say, more exciting. But obviously, it has to be in safe conditions,” he emphasized.
Gasly also highlighted the importance for drivers to guide the FIA in making decisions in case of challenging weather conditions.
“We have already been in these conditions, and in the past, the FIA made the right decision when there was no race start. It’s not because we don’t want to race, it’s simply because there could be a tragic incident like what happened a few weeks ago (Dilano Van’t Hoff, Editor’s note), and nobody wants that. So I think they should rely on us. Of course, they know from experience, not only at Spa but also in rainy conditions in general, that visibility is the most dangerous parameter. And I think they know where the limit is, and we, as drivers, will guide them in making the right decisions,” he concluded.
