Pierre Gasly has praised the “big step” Alpine has made with the upgrades that it has brought to Formula 1‘s United States Grand Prix as he qualified in seventh place.
Alpine entered the last six rounds hoping that developments would inspire an upturn in competitiveness amid a barren run which had seen it not score in three events.
With the revised parts available to be run on one car, Gasly’s A524 was fitted with a brand-new floor body and edge, as well as a substantially redesigned engine cover.
The impact of these changes appeared immediate as Gasly progressed through into Q3 and secured seventh on the grid, while team-mate Esteban Ocon exited in Q2.
Gasly was stunned and pleased with the potential that the Enstone-based squad’s developments have shown as he headed the midfield at the Circuit of the Americas.
“Yeah, I’m very happy. It’s been quite a long time since we made it to Q3 and I must say it was very enjoyable driving the car,” Gasly said.
“We made quite a lot of changes after the Sprint, still exploring this new package and there were directions that we wanted to explore.
“It was a big step in terms of control and potential and it was just so much nicer to drive.
“I think it’s quite surprising to have found that much performance, but it’s definitely encouraging for the future,” he confirmed.
Gasly targets points finish
Gasle’s grid position has put him in a good position to help Alpine overhaul Williams in the Constructors’ Championship with three points separating the two teams.
Asked whether he believes Alpine’s pace transformation will be maintained in the race, the Frenchman cautioned that it will be a challenge in a competitive midfield.
“I hope so, I hope so,” he answered.
“I mean we saw the Aston [of] Fernando [Alonso] was behind and I think in the Sprint we saw we were kind of like battling with each other.
The Haas’ were very, very fast, so we’ll see tomorrow how they do.
“But starting from seventh for sure we definitely got to capitalise on it and try to score points because we haven’t been finishing in the top 10 for a while.”
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