Alpine tried to extract the maximum on the first day of Formula 1 activities in Monaco. Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto highlighted the pleasure of driving in Monte Carlo and spoke of work to be done for qualifying.
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Throughout the two sessions on the Principality’s street circuit, the duo completed 132 laps, in addition to covering 440km. In the end, the Frenchman finished the day in 11th place and gave a generally positive assessment. “It’s good to be back in Monaco and it’s always a pleasure to drive here. This year, with slightly smaller and lighter cars compared to previous seasons, the feeling is definitely different and, without a doubt, it remains a very pleasant place to drive a Formula 1 car,” he said.
“We completed many laps today and it’s always important to have a smooth and consistent day in Monaco, without too many interruptions. Much of our work in free practice in Monaco is focused on preparing for qualifying with low fuel. We were in the top ten for most of the day, so we are clearly in contention for points. We are probably not as competitive here compared to other tracks and there are definitely some details for us to work on, as it hasn’t been entirely easy. We have a lot of work to do analyzing the data before another free practice session tomorrow, as our goal is to be as tuned as possible before the most important qualifying session of the season,” he continued.
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Meanwhile, the Argentine maintained consistent performance in both sessions and finished 15th in both practice sessions in Monaco. “It was a reasonable day for us in Monaco, back in Europe and on the normal Grand Prix schedule, with two free practice sessions on Friday. It’s always a special place to drive, especially since Monaco is where I live now. I would say we have a bit to improve after today and, certainly, we need to find a higher level of performance,” he noted.
“It’s such a specific and unique circuit compared to many others, so I think it will be a matter of fine-tuning some details, rather than changing something too drastic. The car, overall, is good and still fun to drive, even with these slightly smaller and lighter cars now. We have less power unit management here, with energy recovery and distribution, so it’s really about finding a more comfortable setup and focusing on executing solid laps. We usually make a good leap between Friday and Saturday, so our goal is to be better tomorrow, before qualifying,” he concluded.
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