While the McLaren one-two met all expectations, few would have predicted that by the end of Friday at Imola, the closest challenger to the papaya duo would be Pierre Gasly and Alpine. The Frenchman was absolutely the revelation of the day, finishing third, just 276 thousandths off Oscar Piastri’s best time, and most notably ahead of the Mercedes, Red Bulls, and Ferrari SF-25 cars.
The final verdict at the end of the day was very positive for the Frenchman: “It was a very good Friday from the first lap. I immediately felt the car was in a much better place compared to Miami. I’m happy we were able to respond to some of the question marks we had after the last race. So I’m really satisfied, because the car reacts the way I want it to, and that allows me to drive at the limit and push to the maximum,” said Pierre Gasly.
“It’s a great feeling, because the performance is there. Obviously, we know that on Friday others always keep something in reserve for Saturday, but I think it’s fair to say this was probably our best Friday of the year,” he added.
However, FP1 also featured an unfortunate moment, as Pierre hit an animal crossing the track—most likely a rabbit. It was an incident he would much rather have avoided.
“It was very sad. I couldn’t tell if it was a small cat or a large rabbit, but it was hopping across the track. I wasn’t able to avoid it and hit it quite hard with the front wing, so it wasn’t the end to the session we wanted.”
The incident also meant a lot of work for the Enstone team’s mechanics to restore the car in time for the afternoon session. The job was done excellently, but it required a major effort due to the considerable damage.
“When things like this happen, it’s never nice. We also suffered significant damage to both the front wing and the floor. The guys did a great job with the repairs, but I think it’s something we all would have preferred to avoid,” he concluded.
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