The Alpines eliminated in Q1 at Monza
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were unable to advance from the first phase of qualifying. They will start from the second-to-last row.
One week after the euphoria of Zandvoort, all emotions have subsided. Pierre Gasly’s podium in the Netherlands was synonymous with hope for the French brand, but the qualifying session of the Italian Grand Prix has swept it all away.
In difficulty since the beginning of the weekend, the quick lap exercise confirmed these concerns. Both drivers suffered from a lack of top speed at Monza. This resulted in elimination in Q1. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon finish just three thousandths of a second apart, evidence that the car was pushed to its maximum.
« We lack performance on this track »
« I think we saw yesterday that it was going to be complicated, we saw our weaknesses. We tried to improve a few small things but unfortunately, that’s all we had. We lack performance on this track », admits Pierre Gasly.
« We know why we are here, we have difficulties on this track that will need to be improved for next year. »
This is the first time since the Singapore Grand Prix in 2016 that both Alpines have to stop the qualifying session at the end of Q1. Pierre Gasly will start 17th, Esteban Ocon 18th.
💬 "Malheureusement, c'est tout ce qu'il y avait."
Pierre Gasly revient sur le manque de performance des Alpine sur le tracé de Monza 😮💨#ItalianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/3e5lHSxc70
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 2, 2023
