« Not particularly comfortable » in testing, Gasly will lean towards his teammate’s settings

The 2016 GP2 champion was still enthusiastic about returning to this unique circuit. Two hours after getting out of the car, Pierre Gasly was smiling, sitting at a table in the Red Bull hospitality area, on the imposing barge docked by the sea.

« It feels good to be back on this incredible track. In terms of adrenaline, nothing beats Monaco! »

However, his first day in the Principality was not at all restful.

« I had a few little scares » he told the French journalists present. Before clarifying: « sometimes I’m not far from ending up in the wall. I had a little scare at the Casino, in particular. That calms you down for a while! »

« We’re still looking for the limit here. But that’s how we test ourselves for qualifications! »

The heart of the problem lies here at the level of the settings. The pre-testing briefing was evidently not conclusive:

« I didn’t feel particularly comfortable, we tested different settings from Brendon’s and it didn’t work as well as it did for him. » And with good reason, in every session, Gasly was two-tenths slower than Hartley.

Paradoxically, the Norman also complained of a few minor engine issues. A peculiar situation, given that engine performances are leveled on this highly selective track.

His margin of delay is therefore rather recoverable. Gasly concludes here by projecting himself into Saturday and Sunday.

« We saw that it was tight in terms of pure performance. I’m not far from the top 10. In two-tenths, you can quickly go from eighth to fifteenth position. I have a good card to play. I’m aiming for points! »

« I’m going to adjust to his settings (Hartley) and it should be better on Saturday. »

Monaco, just pure happiness to drive here!! 👌 Couple of little issues today in FP1 & FP2, will be better Saturday for qualifying!! Can’t waaaait 🇲🇨 pic.twitter.com/jxk1V7af49 — Pierre Gasly 🇫🇷 (@PierreGASLY) 24 mai 2018

From our special correspondent in Monaco