AlphaTauri Think-Tank Enter the Firing Line from Gasly at Russian GP

It was looking so good for AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly at the Russian Grand Prix. He was on the pace from the off and showed good pace in FP1. In FP2 he finished P3 behind the Mercedes and looking as the quickest of the midfield drivers.

But come qualifying, he could not replicate his performance and got knocked out of the Q2 session. Gasly was fuming after missing on Top-10 by the slightest of margins and was understandably frustrated at some of the team’s decisions.

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We had the pace to be in Q3 easily: Pierre Gasly

Responding to Motorsport, Gasly stated that even with the wets, he had the pace to qualify in the Top-10. But he questioned the team’s decision to not pit him when he asked them to.

“We had the pace to be in Q3 easily. The car was very fast in these conditions, and then in Q2, we stayed out on track on one set, which was completely used,” said Gasly.

“I asked to box because I could see the track was drying. But we didn’t do it, and it was a big mistake and it cost us Q3.

“At the moment, I don’t really understand why we did that. Clearly, we paid a big price because, when you see what happened in Q3, it’s just a very big missed opportunity and I knew it,” said Gasly.

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The AlphaTauri driver hopes for a better result on Sunday

When asked if he could have made the Q3 in the wets, Gasly mentioned the car had the potential to be in the Top-10. But he did not have enough time to put good laps together.

“I felt the potential. The last two laps, I was just all over the place, and I could see the lap time. We were missing it for one-tenth, and I think 1.5 seconds faster was possible with new tires.

“I knew already in Q1 that we had huge potential in these conditions to do well. So when we qualify so far back with such a potential, it gets me mad,” said the AlphaTauri driver.

Pierre Gasly will start the race in P11 and will have free choice of tires, which could prove crucial from a strategic point of view. He would look to get a good start and make progress at the start.

Can Gasly finish in the points? Let us know.