Pierre Gasly, once again a brilliant 7th on the grid in China: "I hope to be able to maintain this position tomorrow."

Pierre Gasly before Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar on the grid for the Chinese Grand Prix. This is a scenario no one would have bet a penny on a week ago, when the Frenchman was eliminated in Q2 in Melbourne and his young compatriot placed his Red Bull in 3rd position, a position where Max Verstappen would certainly have joined him had he not been eliminated in Q1 after going off track.

But that's precisely the appeal of this 2026 season: full of uncertainties, discoveries, and a hierarchy destined to evolve according to the changes brought by each competitor, but also by the variability of the courses. The ultra-fast Australian Albert Park and its full-throttle sections were not suited to theAlpine : the Shanghai circuit, which combines long straights with slow curves, seems better suited to the qualities of the A526.

And in this ultra-tight midfield, it takes driver talent to make the difference, something Pierre Gasly certainly possesses. When his teammate Franco Colapinto failed to get out of Q2 by 0.005s, the number 10 driver once again carried the team.enstone on his shoulders to go and secure an excellent 7th time, with the bonus privilege of finishing ahead of the two Red Bulls.

"There are clearly some positives. We can see that the gap to the cars in front has narrowed." the Frenchman smiled when interviewed by Canal+. “We made two or three small changes to the car compared to the Sprint race to help us in qualifying and, hopefully, in the race in terms of tire degradation. We managed the energy well on the engine side. I managed to put in a very good lap at the end of Q3. This puts us in a good position for tomorrow.”

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To give the Red Bulls a run for their money in the race

After missing out on points in the Sprint, overtaken and beaten by Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon At the end of the race, the Norman driver has a taste of revenge in his mouth, provided he can better manage his tires on a circuit that favors graining, especially on the front left.

"I was disappointed after the Sprint because I've felt very good since the start of the weekend, but we lost the front tires quickly," continues Pierre Gasly“On lap 3, I found myself in a situation where I had no energy left and was overtaken by two cars. It could have turned out very differently. We had the performance to challenge Bearman (8th, who took the final point awarded, editor's note). I hope I can maintain this position tomorrow, get some breathing room, and be able to manage the tires. It was a good qualifying session; we need to build on that tomorrow.”

"There are more unknowns, therefore more opportunities" 👀

Pierre Gasly once again performs well with theAlpinewill start 7th tomorrow 😍#f1 #chinesegp pic.twitter.com/jEneZWWJTh

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) March 14, 2026

To do this, he will need to keep Max Verstappen's Red Bull behind him, but also that of Isack Hadjar, who started ninth. "The Red Bulls will be competitive, but not as much as in Melbourne, and I want to give them a run for their money!" Gasly hopes so. "There are a few more unknowns at the start of this season; we need to try and get some big points. Our work is good, we must continue. We are improving session by session. There is still work to be done, but we must see the positives."

After securing a point for 10th place in Melbourne, Pierre Gasly can legitimately once again harbor ambitions of a top 10 finish, or even better. We'll find out on Sunday, March 15th, starting at 8:00 AM Paris time.

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