Alpine left satisfied, but still with room for improvement after Saturday’s Miami Grand Prix in Formula 1. The team scored a point in the Sprint race and placed both of its cars in Q3 in the qualifying session for Sunday’s GP, reinforcing its position as the fifth force on the grid.
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The result keeps the team consistently in the points fight, although still far from the top four. The focus now turns to Sunday’s race, which may be influenced by the weather and open up new opportunities.
Pierre Gasly finished the Sprint race in eighth position, securing the last available point, and will start tenth in Sunday’s GP. Despite the result, the Frenchman indicated difficulties with the car: “I can’t be completely disappointed with the day, with a point in the Sprint and another participation in Q3. But something is not right with the car, I’m having difficulties especially with traction,” he said. He also highlighted that, in dry conditions, he expects a solitary race but sees a chance to advance if the rain appears, as forecasted.
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Franco Colapinto also celebrated the performance, after repeating eighth place in the Sprint qualifying, also in the qualifying session for the main GP: “I am very happy with the result, we managed to repeat P8 and that shows progress. After Japan, we made changes that seem to have worked,” he said. The Argentine explained that he lost positions at the start of the Sprint after a squeeze involving Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, but remains optimistic for the race.
The team director, Steve Nielsen, reinforced the positive reading of Saturday. According to him, the constant presence in the top 10 confirms the good level of the car in Miami, although Gasly is still not completely comfortable: “We know something is not right with Pierre, but the focus now is Sunday. It could be a race with uncertainties and opportunities, especially with the possibility of rain,” he added.
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