Gasly frustrated after Silverstone
This Sunday at Silverstone was a dark one for Alpine and Pierre Gasly. While being in the battle for points, the French driver became a victim of a collision with Lance Stroll, which resulted in his retirement. Alpine suffers a big loss compared to McLaren this weekend.
The developments made by Alpine didn’t really work. Worse, the French duo ended this Grand Prix with a double retirement. Pierre Gasly fought hard and we really thought he would finish the race and score points.
But there is no small comfort, it is disillusionment that characterized the weekend for the N°10. After a collision with Lance Stroll, Pierre Gasly had to retire from the Grand Prix. A race to forget, but it will be imperative to develop this Alpine car: McLaren has overtaken the French team in the championship by earning 30 points this Sunday.
Gasly frustrated with his race
On Canal+’s microphone, Pierre Gasly reflected on a complicated race, where everything was sometimes intertwined. « We had a good race despite the few chances we had with the Safety Car. We were with the Aston Martins, a car capable of podium finishes at the beginning of the season, but we are not in the position we would like. We showed that we still had some speed, but with the Safety Car, I ended up outside the points. Then I managed to climb back up, but I haven’t seen the footage yet » declared Pierre Gasly after the race.
Indeed, in the battle with Aston Martin and even at times with Ferrari, Pierre Gasly could have scored some points this Sunday. But his race was ruined by a contact with Lance Stroll.
The lack of understanding regarding Stroll
The Canadian and the Frenchman crossed paths several times in this race. First, there was an overtaking move by Stroll off the track, deemed illegal by Pierre Gasly, and then the two men collided. As a result, Gasly’s race ended and Alpine’s chances of salvaging the weekend are slim.
« Stroll puts all four wheels off the track to start. We know how strict they are, we have paid the price all season between Barcelona and last week where we lost a point because of track limits. But apparently there are drivers who are allowed to do it and it doesn’t pose any problems » declared Gasly, referring to Stroll’s overtaking move off the circuit.
« I am just disappointed » concluded the French on this point.
Under McLaren’s pressure, Gasly has confidence in Alpine
But the worrying pace and abandonment are not the only negative aspects of the weekend for Alpine. McLaren has taken the advantage over the French team in the constructors’ championship and now has a 12-point lead. Gasly prefers not to focus on his competitors and hopes that Alpine’s upcoming improvements will work.
« We shouldn’t focus on others because that’s not what will move us forward. We just need to look at what we need to improve. Others are able to achieve better performance than us, so we just have to refocus and keep working together,» Gasly explained to Canal+ microphone.
The French driver even seems to have full confidence in the development of Alpine for the upcoming races. « We believe in our development and the work we’re doing, there are parts that are coming. If we manage to find more performance, we can get closer to the cars that are still ahead,» he concluded.
The next big advancements will happen in Belgium, but before that, we will need to maximize performance on the Hungarian side.
