AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly is hoping for a clean weekend of racing as Formula 1 heads to Miami for the first time, with the Frenchman enduring a difficult weekend in Imola last time out that meant gauging the strengths of the AT03’s updates wasn’t possible.
Gasly spent almost the entirety of the Imola race in 13th, stuck behind Williams’ Alexander Albon whilst also defending against a quicker Lewis Hamilton. That, combined with it being a Sprint weekend with just two practice sessions, meant there was little time to assess the updates AlphaTauri introduced.
Gasly is looking forward to a normal weekend in Miami, and although it’s a new circuit which will take some time to learn, Gasly has completed some 130 laps on the simulator to best prepare himself.
“Looking back at Imola, Friday practice went okay, but then we didn’t do a very good job of managing the tyres on the drying track in Qualifying, so we ended up near the back. From then on, we were on the back foot and then there was the collision in the Sprint that meant starting at the back again on Sunday.
“In the race, I was in a DRS train with Lewis behind me and a Williams in front, so it was a bit annoying. I have to admit I’ve never had much luck in the Sprint races, and I’ve often been involved in some unlucky situations. We couldn’t overtake and that was it,” he added.
“We had some updates, but it was hard to assess them because of the conditions on track, so I’m looking forward to going to Miami to have a normal weekend with three free practice sessions, which will allow us to really do some testing and draw some conclusions.
“I’ve driven Miami on the simulator. I think I did around 130 laps and it looks as though it could be a really fun track to drive with high-speed corners and some sections that are very slow and technical with long straights, so I reckon it could be a great race.”
Gasly is looking forward to a “special energy” that the US races deliver, adding: “I like the fun side of racing in the States, as the organisers always try and do something special in terms of entertainment to keep the crowd happy. I spend quite a bit of time in the States, and I try and take in some of their popular sports, such as the NBA, the NFL and hockey.
“Every time I go, I am amazed at how they create a special energy, a special atmosphere which is incredible. I think they are planning something along those lines for Miami to make it a stand-out event. My main hope is that we can continue to score points in every race and from my point of view, get back into the good rhythm we had in the first three races and forget about the Imola weekend.”
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