It was ultimately a mixed Saturday for Alpine during the Austrian Grand Prix. After a Sprint race where the two A524s found themselves at the gates of the top 10, qualifying counting for Sunday saw only one of the two French single-seaters reach the first part of the table. This is that of Esteban Ocon. In a very tight peloton, Pierre Gasly remained stuck in Q2, with the thirteenth fastest time.
You quickly get used to good habits because the general feeling this Saturday is disappointment. We certainly would not have imagined writing this sentence just a month ago to qualify the accession of one of the Alpines to Q3, and even more so to the regular. However, after a good Spanish Grand Prix and a satisfactory Friday, we hoped to see the two cars in this top 10. That was without counting on Haas, in much better shape today.
The American structure has already given a serious response in the Sprint Race with Kevin Magnussen ninth ahead of Esteban Ocon tenth. In qualifying, it’s a similar scenario but with Nico Hülkenberg as the main actor, facing our Norman. The same order between the two men whether in Q2 or Q3. The first mentioned was also incredibly tight, since Pierre Gasly, thirteenth, is only one tenth behind the German’s car.
If the Alpine are falling back compared to the Sprint qualification, they nevertheless remain well positioned to play for points this Sunday. We will have to find a little rhythm, but this morning’s performance was partly conditioned by worn tires for Esteban Ocon, and an overheating engine for Pierre Gasly – from following his competitors. The potential is therefore still present to do better.
Seriously dreaming of scoring new points is, however, really satisfying in light of Alpine’s start to the season. The competition in this pack is extremely tough, with minimal gaps. Execution – and especially pit stops – will have to be excellent to stand out and seek the few points left vacant by the leading quartet. Answer at 15:00 (French time) with the start of this Austrian Grand Prix.
| Pos. | Pilot | Team | Q1 Time | Q2 time | Q3 Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:05.336 | 1:04.469 | 1:04.314 |
| 2 | L. Norris | Mclaren | 1:05.450 | 1:05.103 | 1:04.718 |
| 3 | G. Russell | Mercedes | 1:05.585 | 1:05.016 | 1:04.840 |
| 4 | C. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:05.263 | 1:05.016 | 1:04.851 |
| 5 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:05.541 | 1:05.053 | 1:04.903 |
| 6 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:05.509 | 1:05.104 | 1:05.044 |
| 7 | O. Plates | Mclaren | 1:05.311 | 1:05.070 | 1:05.048 |
| 8 | S.Perez | Red Bull Racing | 1:05.587 | 1:05.144 | 1:05.202 |
| 9 | N. Hülkenberg | Haas F1 Team | 1:05.596 | 1:05.262 | 1:05.385 |
| 10 | E. Ocon | Alpine | 1:05.574 | 1:05.274 | 1:05.883 |
| 11 | D.Ricciardo | RB | 1:05.569 | 1:05.289 | |
| 12 | K. Magnussen | Haas F1 Team | 1:05.508 | 1:05.347 | |
| 13 | P. Gasly | Alpine | 1:05.598 | 1:05.359 | |
| 14 | Y. Tsunoda | RB | 1:05.563 | 1:05.412 | |
| 15 | F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:05.656 | 1:05.639 | |
| 16 | A. Albon | Williams | 1:05.736 | ||
| 17 | L. Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:05.819 | ||
| 18 | V. Bottas | Kick Sauber | 1:05.847 | ||
| 19 | L. Sargeant | Williams | 1:05.856 | ||
| 20 | G. Zhou | Kick Sauber | 1:06.061 |
