The judgment of Pierre Gasly, 12th at the end of qualifying on Saturday, is final: “It’s our place now. The Frenchman, who had already started from the same position at Spa a month ago, believes that his Alpine can hardly get better at the moment. Admittedly, only 61 thousandths separated him from 10th place in the Williams of Logan Sargeant in Q2. Admittedly, the session, contested on a wet track, then drying, was taxing on the nerves and the strategy. But the French team is clearly unable to fight for a top 5. And it is not Esteban Ocon, 17th and eliminated in Q1, who will say the opposite.
“I was in trouble in all the fast corners, whether on a dry or wet track, he admitted. The car was very unstable, we will have to check if there was not a mechanical problem. It’s clearly not a good day. It’s the first time this season that I’ve been out in Q1, it’s very disappointing. We will have to work to hope to finish in a better place in the race. But I’m afraid I don’t have the speed to make it go better. It’s far from over, things can happen with the rain or the strategies, but it’s a bad qualification. »
Gasly frustrated
Slightly higher on the grid, Gasly was logically a little more optimistic: “It’s not the end of the world, I’m confident to be back in the top 10 tomorrow (today). Small details cost us Q3, and it’s frustrating to get so close. The track was tricky, with the rain, all those banked turns, it was changing with every lap. I tried to get the best out of the car in these conditions, not to make any mistakes. “He succeeded, but it is far from being enough to compete with the cadors. Or even beat the Williams.
