Alpine was one of the teams eager to turn the page after the Monaco Grand Prix.
Formula 1’s crown jewel was not kind to the Enstone-based operation. Both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto were eliminated in Q1, forcing them to start at the back of the grid. Gasly’s Monaco Grand Prix ended after just seven laps, when he retired due to damage sustained in an incident with Yuki Tsunoda. As for Colapinto, while he managed to pick up a few spots on the track, he only climbed to P13.
Now the team, which will honor Alpine’s 70th anniversary with a special logo and one-off race suits for both drivers, is hoping for more at the Spanish Grand Prix.
“We are heading to Barcelona for the final race of the triple header. We really have the aim as a team to be in a much better position than we were in Monaco where our level of performance was probably a bit of a surprise for us as we expected to be better,” said Gasly in the team’s media preview. “We qualified too far down and that meant it was going to be very difficult to make our way towards the points. Our race ended after the incident with Yuki so that was that. The race itself looked a difficult one to make up any ground so as a team we will regroup and see what we can improve ahead of Spain.
“Hopefully this type of track – a more complete circuit than Monaco – will better suit our package. We have the mandatory technical directive to comply with so we might see some small differences up and down the grid,” added Gasly. “On the circuit itself, I have always enjoyed driving in Barcelona. We have had some decent performances there in the past so I remain positive going into this weekend.
Colapinto, who celebrated a birthday this week, is hoping for a “more positive weekend” in Spain.
“The weekend in Monaco was a tough one for the team. We struggled with the pace of the car for various reasons and ultimately lined up too far back on the grid at a track with almost no overtaking opportunities,” said Colapinto. “The new two-stop regulation brought different tactics into play across all the teams and although we were able to move up through the order, 13th place was the best we could extract from the race.
“I am looking forward to Spain this weekend to close out the triple header. As a Spanish-speaking country and with plenty of Argentine fans there, I am sure it will be a special one for me,” added Colapinto. “It was also my birthday this week, so it was great to have a couple of days to relax and recharge with my loved ones. We will be hoping for a more positive weekend in Barcelona at a circuit which should suit our package better.
“The track is a more traditional circuit in comparison to Monaco so the aim will be to get as comfortable with the car as quick as possible to extract a good result from Qualifying and set ourselves up nicely for the race on Sunday.”
In concluding his remarks Gasly, an avid sports fan, shared where his eyes will be on Saturday night.
“I’ll certainly be glued to my TV on Saturday night for the Champions League Final,” chimed in Gasly. “It should be a fantastic game and I’ll be cheering PSG on to get it done and bring home the trophy!”