Pierre Gasly believes that Alpine has the conditions to compete for a spot in Q3 at the Italian Grand Prix in Formula 1, despite the modest results in Friday’s free practice sessions. The Frenchman finished TL2 in 14th, but stated that the position does not represent the true potential of the car.
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Gasly did not participate in TL1, giving his car to Paul Aron, who finished the session in tenth, while Franco Colapinto was ninth. In TL2, Colapinto was 11th, and Gasly highlighted that small improvements can make a difference in a very tight battle.
“I don’t think the ranking accurately reflects our real performance. There is some potential in the car here and I think the fight for the top ten will be tight,” said Gasly, who hopes to find gains before the qualifying session: “I am confident that we can be in the fight for Q3,” he said.
Colapinto also pointed to a scenario of small margins in Monza, but had greater difficulties during TL2. The Argentine explained that he lost grip, especially at the apexes of the corners, after a first session in which he even appeared among the top five with the medium tires.
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“It seemed like I had no more grip, especially at the apexes of the corners, so we need to understand why,” added Colapinto. According to the Argentine driver, the intense heat may have influenced the car’s behavior, while the preparation for the qualifying session will focus on discovering the origin of the problems.
Aron, in turn, evaluated the experience in TL1 positively, despite traffic having hindered his fast laps with the soft tires and a red flag having reduced his track time. The Estonian stated that the team managed to complete most of the program and will return to Enstone to continue work in the simulator.
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