The first part of the F1 sprint weekend in Belgium at the Spa Francorchamps circuit has concluded, with the drivers setting the grid for Saturday’s sprint race after sprint qualifying, and it was a mixed bag for Alpine.
For the Enstone-based team, this was a close call on several levels; the team came into this weekend with a revised low-downforce rear wing and beam wing package aiming to maximise straight-line speed and overall efficiency on one of the fastest circuits on the calendar.
The results reflected two contrasting outcomes shaped by the driver’s challenges on the track this afternoon; in the end, it was Pierre Gasly who made it to the top 10 after an impressive qualifying round.
Pierre Gasly
Gasly delivered a strong performance when it mattered the most; after several close calls, the Frenchman narrowly escaped elimination in SQ1 and SQ2.
He entered SQ2 at P15, after avoiding a last-second elimination, and jumped to P5 in the closing moments to secure his SQ3 spot with a brilliant lap. This marked an impressive turnaround for the team, which struggled with grip and pace issues during the day’s lone practice session.
Reflecting on the recovery in the TV pen, Gasly remarked, “It definitely paid off.” The driver credited the team’s “extreme” and newly introduced updates as they helped him break into the top 10.
The straight-line speed advantage from the new aero components enabled him to hold pace through Spa’s long, power-dependent sectors; while its abilities weren’t evident during practice, it came into its own during the sprint qualifying session.
Set to start the sprint race from P8, Gasly is eyeing points:
“We’ll need to put our elbows out tomorrow,” he said. “There are a few cars out of position, but we’ll go for it,” in what’s expected to be an unpredictable sprint race, especially with questionable weather conditions on the horizon.
Franco Colapinto
In contrast, Gasly’s teammate Franco Colapinto was eliminated in SQ1, finishing in P19. The Argentine driver struggled to find pace and dealt with the ramifications of multiple yellow flags; with just six laps completed, his chances of putting together a clean lap were compromised.
Speaking in the TV pen after the session, Colapinto admitted that securing a clean lap was especially difficult in the closing stages, as several drivers ended up in the gravel, causing interruptions.
Among those incidents were Kimi Antonelli, who spun out of turn 14 after getting on the throttle too early; and Lewis Hamilton, whose late spin at the Bus Stop chicane triggered a yellow flag at the final moment.
Colapinto also pointed to Alpine’s engine deficit as an additional challenge, admitting it’s something that needs to be “worked on.” This deficit can be especially noticeable at a power-sensitive circuit like Spa, where speed through sectors one and three is critical.
Despite the early exit and challenges, the rookie remained optimistic for the sprint race, referring to the unpredictable weather forecast and the potential opportunities that followed.
Alpine’s upgrades offered a mixed return in Sprint Qualifying, with changeable weather on the horizon and points on offer, the Sprint presents another opportunity for the team to extract more from their updated package.
