The light at the end of the tunnel
Friday’s Sprint qualifying saw Alpine finally manage to make the cut from SQ1 to SQ2 at least with a single-seater. The French team placed Esteban Ocon in 13th position And Pierre Gasly in 16thshowing overall some timid steps forward despite a situation that remains dramatic from a sporting point of view for the Renault-owned team.
The words of the pilots
“It’s positive to have reached the second part of the Sprint qualifications – commented Ocon – but it’s disappointing to be so close and miss the top-10 by just half a tenth. However, this is also a small encouraging sign of how the gap is narrowing. I was happy with the first lap in SQ2 and how the car felt and the grip increased over the course of the lap. But on the second lap I pushed too much and towards the end I struggled with the tyres. I had the lead in the first sector but I couldn’t hold it the whole lap, which is also a good teaching for Grand Prix qualifying. There are some things we can work on and that we can fix to try to advance in the Sprint and take a further step in qualifying.”.
“The car ran much better and we would have been able to overcome SQ1 – Gasly also confirmed, but he was unable to make the cut – my first go around was good, but on the second try I lost the car when changing direction at turns 5 and 6. It wasn’t ideal and the ride went down the drain. Too bad, because the car felt much more consistent. We will have to try to understand some things and see what we can improve. In the afternoon we have the Sprint Race and then qualifying for Sunday’s Grand Prix, the one that matters most. There is still a lot to do this weekend”.
