A two-faced qualifying for the Alpine drivers: while Gasly will start from nineteenth position due to a really tough Q1, Colapinto will start tenth. The Argentine had stopped at eleventh during qualifying, but a penalty against Hadjar allowed him to gain a position, thus starting from the top 10. The competition is much closer, and in Montreal—where on-track action has always been abundant—the Enstone team dreams of scoring more precious points.
Gasly’s words
“It’s hard to accept this elimination in Q1, especially because the car had the pace and potential to do better today. We were on track to enter the top ten in Q1 when the red flag came out. We had to stop an effort that was proving quite solid and sufficient for the rest of the race. With the last set of soft tires, we weren’t in the right temperature window and had grip issues,” he said.
“It was quite a chaotic lap, with a lot of sliding. We need to analyze what happened because the difference between tire sets was frustrating, and we had much more to offer than what we showed. The car was good, and we should have placed both cars higher on the grid. We’ll see what we can improve and evaluate our strategic options, because the race could be long and full of opportunities,” he concluded.
Colapinto’s words
“Looking at where we were yesterday and at previous races, it was a good result and a better day from my side of the garage. I attacked decisively and felt more comfortable behind the wheel. Given the small gaps, we had the potential to get into Q3. There were various tire choices on the grid, and for my part, we struggled a bit in the first corners with the mediums before gaining time over the rest of the lap,” he admitted.
“In my last attempt, I hit the wall and lost a bit of time, which is why I apologized to the team over the radio. Overall, I’m happy with the progress made since Friday. I’m still getting comfortable with the team and figuring out which direction to take with the setup. Last night we made some positive changes and did a good job with the engineers, who gave us great support. I hope we’ll be able to carry this momentum into the race, especially thanks to the car’s good behavior in the long stints on Friday,” he concluded.
Flavio Briatore’s feelings ahead of the race
“The car had the potential for a much better result today. Franco did a good job, handled his session well, and quickly found his rhythm. A better result was therefore possible, even if now he is tenth on the grid due to penalties for other competitors. Pierre had the potential to set a good time in Q1, which would have comfortably taken him into Q2 before the red flag. This makes us think because we always need to aim for perfection in everything we do, and today we didn’t achieve that. In the race, we will need to execute everything better and see if we can maximize the car’s pace to be in the points,” he concluded.
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