Pierre Gasly achieved his best race result of the season so far at the F1 British GP. Crossing the line P6, the Alpine driver made all the right decisions in a chaotic mixed conditions race at Silverstone this weekend.
Gasly on turning his weekend around after a rough Friday and FP3
Gasly failed to crack the top 15 in any of the three free practice sessions this weekend at the British GP. Despite this lack of pace, he showed some serious speed on Saturday afternoon. The Frenchman made it into Q3, logging a time of 1:24.785, putting him P10 on the starting grid.
In the print media pen after the race, Gasly commented on his low expectations following his slow start to the weekend.
“Honestly, I don’t really know where to start because P6, at the start of the weekend, no one would have ever imagined that we would be in such a position to be fighting Fernando at the start of the race.”
Alpine and Pierre Gasly have been having a rough go of it this year. So, fighting for position alongside Ferraris and Red Bulls is a significant reversal of fortune.
“I managed to get past him on the wet, I was feeling extremely good. Right behind Lewis, I eventually managed to get past him as well before the safety car. Battling with Max at the end who was on pole yesterday.
“At some point I wondered what the heck was going on in my race.”
Making all the right decisions in unpredictable conditions
Gasly made two pit stops during the race. Racing on intermediate tyres for the first two stints and finishing the race on new mediums, Alpine made all the right moves to propel them well into the points.
The race winner put in a great display of capitalizing on the rapidly changing conditions.
“We took the risk, but the right one. All the calls were right, the strategy was great, the pit stops were good. We made the best out of all these conditions.
“I managed to defend my position at the right time, not to lose too much time. In the end, I’m just very proud of all the team because this year is very tricky for everyone. We know the car is not in the place we’d like it to be, but every single day we go out there, we try our best.
“Today really showed that we’re able to perform and make the best out of the opportunities when they come to us. I’m very proud of them and very happy.”
Gasly on being battle-tested and out performing the car
Pierre Gasly has had his fair share of difficult F1 cars throughout his career. Extracting everything out of a tricky car is what has brought the French driver success in previous years, and he continues to do so with Alpine.
When asked if he believes that this is the best he has ever driven, Gasly said that it’s hard to tell.
“I think it’s always difficult to gauge, but I know I’m performing at a very high level with the car that I have at the minute. Whether it’s my best or not, it’s always tricky, but I know at the moment there’s nothing else you can get out of it.
“I managed to do it yesterday many times in Q1, Q2 and also in Q3. Same in the race today. I’m pleased. It’s not the first time I’m facing challenges in my career.”
Gasly believes that delivering great performances, despite especially challenging weather conditions, is exactly how to push his team forward.
“I need to keep putting up and put my best every single time out there even in difficult conditions. It motivates all the guys, but that’s what I am. I’m a fighter, I’m a warrior and I always keep pushing them.”
“Everything to lose, but you have everything to win”
The French driver was willing to put his race on the line at any given moment to improve his position. This gave him an advantage over the front-runners he was battling.
“The whole race, every single lap was tricky. You’ve got to stay on track, but at the same time these are the moments where you have everything to lose, but you have everything to win.
“The other guys are also going to balance this type of risk they are taking. These are the moments where I know I have a lot to gain. I just need to go for it and be at the limit without going over that line.”
Gasly is keen to battle in this kind of race as a natural competitor, stating: “I love these types of conditions.”
Status of the A525 and the energy within the team
Last season, Pierre Gasly and former teammate Esteban Ocon were able to pull off a double podium at the Brazil GP. This was a massive result for the team, as this year’s driver lineup – and car – have yet to come close to matching.
“I think last year the overall performance relative to the others was in a much better place. Considering the car was in a better place, we were on the podium, it was incredible, but this year I feel we are in a worse place.”
The internal struggles at Alpine have been a huge story this season. The driver swap of Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto, only six races into the season, was a clear marker of the issues at Enstone. Following the departure of former Team Principal Oliver Oakes, the Alpine F1 team has been even more under the microscope.
Alpine needed a morale boost at Silverstone, and Gasly was able to come through for his team.
“That P6 is probably as good, so I think we’re all very happy, especially to do it here in Silverstone. I know a lot of guys are here from the factory. We definitely need that boost, because we all have our eyes on next year.
“But for everybody to work as hard as ever, they also need a bit of extra energy and extra motivation, which I’m sure it will give them today.”
