Gasly excels and takes 4th place on the grid in Bahrain: "I didn't expect to be so close in front"

Exceptional Pierre Gasly ! The Frenchman was masterful during qualifying for the Bahrain GP this Saturday and managed to secure a magnificent 4th place on the starting grid (after application of penalties for Mercedes drivers, Editor's note.). A performance that the Norman had already displayed earlier in the weekend, during Free Practice, with promising times on Friday, but less impressive with the soft tires. Nevertheless, Alpine and Pierre Gasly managed to get the red-sided tyres working for qualifying and the Rouen driver increased his speed as the sessions progressed.

After setting an incredible 3rd time in Q2, the French driver confirmed this in Q3 and set the 5th time, less than four tenths behind the poleman, Oscar piastriPierre Gasly could have been even better placed: the second row, occupied by Charles Leclerc and Andrea Kimi Antonelli (before the Italian's penalty), was only a few hundredths of a second behind! Nevertheless, the Norman remains fully satisfied with having placed his Alpine also high, in the middle of the Ferrari and Mercedes…and even, in front of the McLaren of the championship leader, Lando Norris ! Now, Pierre Gasly is aiming for points this Sunday to finally unlock the A-marked counter in 2025.

Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 4th in qualifying for the Bahrain GP (Canal+) : "It was a really good lap, I'm really happy. In Q1, I wasn't at all comfortable with the car, I was sliding a lot, but the team guided me well on the tire warm-up. We tried to optimize what we had. Honestly, it was really impressive from the team in terms of understanding the soft tires, we were making good steps forward each time between each session. I managed to put in a great lap in Q2, which helped me a lot for Q3 to continue this momentum. We finished four hundredths of a second off the top three."

“From the inside, I knew it was a very good lap, but to be so close in front, I didn't necessarily expect it. I'm really happy for the team, because it's not the start to the season we were hoping for. I know the car has potential and it's good to be able to chase this result. Plus, it's Flavio's [Briatore] birthday today, so it's all good!”

"It's not guaranteed [to score points], it's extremely close. It's a circuit where you can overtake, it's very different from Suzuka, it will be decided by different strategies. We have to be very attentive for tomorrow, prepare well for the race, for the strategy. But it's good to see that, on this track, the car is competitive. I'm excited: it's important for us to get these first points tomorrow, we'll do everything to achieve it."

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