Pierre Gasly delighted to be present “when it really mattered”

The Norman driver, author of the 5th fastest time in qualifying in São Paulo, was however not completely satisfied with his AlphaTauri in Free Practice 1.

Published on 12/11/2021 à 22:28

⁰ View comments)

Pierre Gasly delighted to be present “when it really mattered”

A fervent admirer of Senna, Gasly brought the crowds to their feet in Brazil / © DPPI

Pierre Gasly continues to impress in qualifying in 2021, with a 14th entry in the Top 6 in Q3 this season achieved by the driver Alpha Tauri this Friday in Brazil.

As in Mexico last week, the Frenchman set the 5th best time, 294 thousandths behind the Red Bull of Sergio Pérez, to get ahead of the Ferrari and McLaren on the grid for the Sprint scheduled for Saturday.

« I'm really, really happy because Free Practice 1 was a bit complicated, commented Gasly. I also had a little trouble in qualifying but I managed to improve little by little by playing with the different tools available in the car.

I managed to put it all together when it really mattered. The lap in Q3 was incredible, I’m delighted. It’s fantastic for us to be right behind the Mercedes and the Red Bulls, especially at a pivotal moment in the championship ».

AlphaTauri is indeed neck and neck with Alpine in the fight for 5th place in the Manufacturers' ranking. The two teams are tied on points with 106 units each. The French team, however, retains the advantage thanks to the success ofEsteban Ocon in Hungary.

Yet in good spirits in Q1, Yuki tsunoda, Gasly's teammate at AlphaTauri, ultimately had to settle for 13th fastest, while their rivals fromAlpine Fernando Alonso and Ocon will be 10th and 11th on the Sprint grid, the start of which is scheduled for 20:30 p.m. Saturday, French time.