Alpine had reasons to celebrate after the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Monaco GP. Pierre Gasly secured ninth position on the starting grid and celebrated the result after a weekend that, according to him, was far from simple for the French team.
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The Frenchman believes he extracted the maximum possible from the car and considers ninth place the best achievable result given the current scenario. For him, finishing as the best placed among the teams outside the top four group was a source of satisfaction.
“I am very happy with this result and I don’t think we could have done better than P9 today. We are the best behind the four teams that are out of reach at the moment,” said Gasly. The driver revealed that he crossed the finish line filled with adrenaline after his last attempt in Q3.
According to the competitor, the decisive lap required extra risks on the narrow streets of the Principality: “I took a lot of risks and touched the walls at several points. It’s a very good feeling when everything comes together,” he said. Gasly also highlighted the team’s collective effort to improve performance throughout the weekend.
While Gasly advanced to Q3, Franco Colapinto finished the session in 14th position. The Argentine admitted disappointment with the result, especially considering the qualifying session in Monaco, one of the most important of the season, but highlighted the progress made after intense work carried out in recent days.
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“We worked late to understand where we were struggling and where we could improve the car. We managed to evolve compared to yesterday and were only a few tenths from Q3,” he stated. Still, Colapinto explained that he faced difficulties with front and rear wheel lock-ups throughout the weekend, a factor that compromised his confidence to attack the limits of the track.
Team principal, Steve Nielsen, praised Gasly’s performance and stated that, in a battle marked by minimal differences, the driver made the difference: “Pierre was impeccable and delivered exactly what we needed. He is in a competitive position to score points tomorrow,” he added.
Nielsen also acknowledged that Alpine has faced a challenging weekend so far, with some car limitations being more evident in Monaco. Regarding Colapinto, he highlighted the progress shown since Friday and reminded that the Argentine was only a few tenths from Q3. For the race, the team’s expectation is to take advantage of any opportunity that arises and execute a clean race with both cars.
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