Pierre Gasly starts F1 testing with positivity: “Satisfied with the initial feeling at the wheel”. 6th fastest time for the French Alpine driver Pierre Gasly in the first day of F1 testing.

The first Alpine outing
Twenty-four hours after the official presentation of the new A525, with the shakedown at the Sakhir circuit, Alpine was back to work for the first of the three days of pre-season testing, with both drivers on track during Monday’s morning and afternoon sessions. While rookie Jack Doohan completed the first session, finishing in 14th position after completing 68 laps, the fastest time for the team was set by the more experienced teammate Pierre Gasly.

The fastest and the most present
More active on track, with 72 laps completed despite a blackout that interrupted activities for over an hour, the Frenchman finished in the top-10, more specifically with the 6th fastest time of 1:31.353. Overall positive feelings for the former AlphaTauri driver, who didn’t encounter any major issues: “It was a solid workday, although our afternoon was a bit interrupted by the red flag,” he commented. “It was good that the session was extended, and we were able to complete our program without losing time on track. The car felt good right away, and I’m satisfied with the initial feeling at the wheel. Everything worked as expected, and we started exploring different setups that give us a direction for the rest of the week. I’m looking forward to continuing the work in the morning and aiming for another productive day alongside Jack.”

Good signals also for Jack Doohan
Wednesday was also special for Jack Doohan, as it was his first time on track with the other drivers, getting increasingly familiar with the new car: “After Monday’s shakedown, it’s really nice to be back on track and able to drive for an entire morning with the A525,” commented the Australian. “I enjoyed being in the car and having a good feeling with the various setups and tire compounds. I sincerely thank the entire team at Enstone and Viry for the work done over the winter and for preparing the car for this test. I’ll support the team and observe closely in the morning before getting back in the car tomorrow afternoon to continue working on the program.”