Pierre Gasly has revealed his first top ten qualification this season is a ‘big boost of motivation’ for the struggling Alpine team. While he says it can’t be considered a turning point for the Enstone team, he hopes they can build on momentum.
The BWT Alpine F1 Team have had a terrible start to their season. Eight rounds into the season, they have failed to score a single point, more often than not finding themselves at the bottom of the standings. In Quali sessions, they’ve been lucky to make it into Q2, never mind continuing to P3.
However, a triumphant Gasly hopes that the team can build on the upward momentum of the 2024 Monaco Quali session;
“We know it’s difficult, we struggled to get into Q2 many times this year, and here it’s a track full of opportunities in a way. The adrenaline, just that feeling going in the streets, like on that Q2 lap when I finished P5, I crossed the line and I knew this was special, like I just felt everything was right at the limit, and it was just very enjoyable.
“On top of that when they told me we were P5, a tenth and a half from P1 I think at the time, it was just, yeah, definitely a very, very good feeling. Very happy for all the guys because it hasn’t been an easy season for us, and just the fact that we’re showing progress, you know, is a big boost of motivation for all the people working in the team, and I’m very happy for them.”
However, the French driver was quick to point out that he’s under no illusion that the team will be making its way up through the pack in the weeks to come;
“You can’t really take Monaco as a turning point because it’s such a different track, but you take everything you can take in a season, these are moments where hopefully it can create a dynamic where we manage to keep building on and find more performance.”
The last runner on track at the end of Q3 in the 2024 Monaco Quali, Gasly was unable to improve on his previous P10 run. However, like many of the other drivers on the grid, a brush with the one of the tight walls on the Monaco street track left him with some damage;
“I had to take a lot of risks, and if I had to do it again, I’d take all the same risks that got us to that stage, so it was a bit of a price to pay, but yeah, definitely happy about that first Q3, hopefully it’s not the last one this year.”
Alpine now look to tomorrow to find out whether Gasly’s triumphant Quali performance can translate into points in the race.
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Feature Image Photo by BWT Alpine F1 Team