Pierre Gasly: “We’re concentrating on next year”
Asked about the sometimes erratic behavior of his single-seater, Pierre Gasly talks about the work that still needs to be done to maximize performance, while admitting that their attention is already focused on next season.
The weekend was disappointing in Canada, both for him and his teammate, Franco Colapinto. After a failed qualifying session, the French driver started from the pit lane after making changes to his car under Parc Fermé conditions. In the race, neither the car nor the strategy measured up. Although he anticipated a difficult weekend on a circuit not necessarily suited to the Alpine, Pierre Gasly also considers himself to have been unlucky.
« Well, I think it was quite unfortunate. We had an unfortunate exit from Q1, which put us on the back foot, starting from the pit lane, in a DRS train for 40 laps. So it was a very frustrating race, » he explained at the press conference in Austria.
I think the pace wasn’t too far off to fight for the last points in the top 10, but starting from the pit lane was obviously going to be tricky. We learned some things. We knew that in Montreal, the track wasn’t going to suit our package too well. And looking at the gaps this year, how tight they are, you can easily swing from one side to the other, and we were probably on the wrong side in Montreal.
Is the Alpine a difficult car to set up? Easy one week, difficult the next? The Frenchman’s response is mixed. « I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. I wouldn’t say it’s easy. Right now, it’s mostly about maximizing our strengths. » The team now knows its strengths and weaknesses and the secret to success lies in the details.
A tenth can make you gain three or four places on the grid, and that’s why we must focus on every possible detail. Concentration is key. We know that the car we have will be the same until the end of the year. We are focusing on next year, but for now, it is our weapon and we will try to place it in the best possible position each time.
