Alpine had good feelings after the Formula 1 Dutch GP Sprint qualifying. Pierre Gasly managed to reach up to SQ3, while Franco Colapinto stayed in SQ2 but praised the form.
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The team brought updates to Zandvoort and doing well with that, the Frenchman will start from eighth position in the Sprint race, celebrating the result.
“I am happy to be back on track and even more satisfied to return to a much more competitive position compared to recent rounds. The first signs of the update package are positive and, without a doubt, I felt good in the car during both sessions today. It feels much stronger, with more grip, and is responding well to my commands. We know there are several factors involved and the situation is never as simple as it looks on the timing sheets; therefore, we will work hard to continue improving our understanding and make the overall package better and better,” he said
“The fight in the midfield is tight, as usual, so I am sure we will need to take another step forward tomorrow. We will start 8th in the Sprint Race, and that is our immediate focus, aiming to score points in the top eight. After that, we have another important task in Qualifying, where reaching Q3 should be our goal. It’s a good start to the weekend, but we won’t get too excited; our hard work continues,” he continued.
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Meanwhile, the Argentine from the team will start 13th and despite regretting not passing SQ2, praised the package. “Firstly, it is very positive for the team to see that our update package worked well. Of course, for me it is a bit more difficult, but I felt I did a very good lap today, securing 13th place, which provides the team with useful comparisons for the continuation of the work.”
“In that sense, it’s a bittersweet feeling for me, but it’s a team effort and we are all working very hard together to improve our overall situation as much as possible. We still face the driving limitations that already existed before the summer break, so it will probably be a challenge for me tomorrow,” he continued.
“We have the Sprint Race, which gives us another opportunity to find improvements and make the car a little faster. The fight in the midfield is tight and opportunities may arise, especially considering the weather conditions. It was a good day for the team, a positive start to the weekend, so we will keep pushing,” he concluded.
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