Alpine had a challenging day of free practice for the Japanese Grand Prix Formula 1 at Suzuka, with Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto dealing with balance and car feel still below ideal. FP1 ended with Gasly in 15th position and Colapinto in 16th, while in FP2 the Frenchman moved up to 14th and the Argentine dropped to 17th.
Read more F1: Cadillac experiences day of mixed emotions with Japanese GP practice sessions
“Overall, it wasn’t an easy day for us here at Suzuka. In FP1, we had difficulties with the balance, but we managed a decent improvement for FP2. The feel in the car is still not where I want it, so we definitely have more to find for tomorrow”, commented Gasly.
The French driver highlighted that the difference between positions in the midfield is minimal, which increases the competitiveness of the qualifying session: “It’s very tight, especially up to 7th place, behind the three front teams. Just a few tenths of a second separate 7th from 15th, so I’m sure it will be very close again in qualifying tomorrow”, he stated. Gasly believes that small improvements can have a big impact on the final result.
Colapinto, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of learning in his first experience at the legendary Japanese track: “It was a complicated training day, but one in which we learned a lot. It’s my first time driving at Suzuka, and it was really incredible to experience this track in a Formula 1 car, facing some very special corners”, he said.
Read more F1: Haas sees positive day after training in Japan: «A good start»
The Argentine also highlighted that confidence grew during FP1, but some high-speed areas still require attention: “We built our confidence lap by lap and at the end of FP1, we were in a better position, but still not fully comfortable with the car, especially in some high-speed sections. It was similar in FP2, so we have some details to fix and I hope we can enter qualifying in a much better and more competitive position”, he added.
With the grid tight, every tenth of a second will make a difference, and both Gasly and Colapinto know that qualifying will be decisive in defining Sunday’s race at Suzuka. The expectation is that the experience accumulated today will help the team extract the maximum from the car in the search for better positions.
Read more F1: De la Rosa comments on Wheatley rumors at Aston Martin
