With Pierre Gasly well positioned to fight for the points and Esteban Ocon in search of redemption, Alpine F1 approaches the Sprint with measured but determined ambitions.
Alpine F1 continues its quest for points in Qatar with contrasting performances in Sprint qualifying. If Pierre Gasly took an encouraging eighth place, Esteban Ocon struggled and will start far down the grid.
Gasly was able to get the most out of his car by taking eighth position for the Sprint, a crucial result in the fight for the constructors' championship. Ahead of rivals such as Nico Hülkenberg and Liam Lawson, the Frenchman was satisfied with his performance.
“I'm happy to have qualified eighth for the Sprinthe confided. The top four teams were ultimately very fast, so I think we got the best result we could get today. We are ahead of a Haas and an RB F2, our opponents in the championship.”
Gasly also highlighted the good work done during free practice, where he felt comfortable behind the wheel. However, the sprint qualifying session was more difficult, requiring constant adjustment.
“We had to work hard to get out of SQ1 and SQ2, lowering our times little by little. Tomorrow the top eight will score points, so we're in the game.”
The French driver remains focused on the main objective: scoring points during the Sprint.
Ocon struggling: adjustments necessary
For his part, Esteban Ocon had a complicated session, being eliminated in SQ1. With a modest 18th place on the grid, the Norman will have to fight to hope to move up.
“It was a complicated evening and we didn’t manage to put together a better lap to qualify higher”
he admits.
Ocon stressed the need to work with the team to better understand the car's current weaknesses: “We have to keep looking for performances and understand some points. A lot can happen in these intense races, so we will take every opportunity tomorrow.”
A decisive battle for Alpine
With Gasly well positioned to fight for the points and Ocon in search of redemption, Alpine F1 approaches the Sprint with measured but determined ambitions. The fight with Haas and Racing Bulls promises to be intense, with each point being able to make the difference in this tight championship.
