(Motorsport-Total.com) – Alpine has made an overall solid impression this season so far: Both Pierre Gasly and teammate Franco Colapinto have regularly scored points in the first eight races, so the team is now in fifth place in the constructors’ championship.
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Although the weekend in Austria was a small setback because the team had to leave without any points for the first time this year, the goal remains unchanged: Alpine wants to consistently work its way up to being a title contender – and the sooner, the better!
“I think the timeframe is the same for all of us in the team: as quickly as possible,” Gasly said on Thursday before the Austrian Grand Prix, but at the same time significantly tempered expectations: “Flavio Briatore has been around long enough to know that this doesn’t happen overnight.”
“We all wish it were that way, but the reality is very different. The goal was definitely to be in the upper midfield and slowly close in on the cars ahead of us,” the Frenchman recalls Alpine’s season goal. “That’s what we need to focus on in the short term.”
Pierre Gasly: Alpine still has “a long way to go”
“I fully believe in Flavio’s master plan and in what we need to implement,” said Gasly, emphasizing that Alpine “has taken many steps in the right direction since last year.” However, to become a title contender “as quickly as possible,” that is not yet enough.
“Realistically, we need to look at what we can improve in the short term now and know our strengths and weaknesses as a team and how much time we have to put all the pieces together. There is still a long way to go until we achieve what we want to achieve in Formula 1 with Alpine. I really hope we can make it.”
The mood within the team seems positive anyway, especially since the Frenchman was recently praised by Flavio Briatore as “one of the six best drivers.” “It’s nice to hear that from Flavio,” Gasly admits. “I’ve been here long enough to know that I have to focus on my own work.”
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“I try every time I’m in the car to be the best I can be. Sometimes the best I can achieve means 15th place last year. That doesn’t mean I’m a bad driver. Sometimes you have a car that allows you to finish in the top 5, to win, or to be in the top 10.”
Gasly wants to “catch the train ahead a bit more”
“You just have to get the maximum out of it. I think I am performing well,” Gasly says confidently, but also admits that he can still improve. “I work on that every day. I still think I can deliver stronger performances than the ones I am currently delivering. I have to work on that.”
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The direction is still right, however. “The team has done good work so far regarding reliability,” praises the 30-year-old. “They have been really error-free so far. I think the performance of the car that we have seen since the start of the season shows that we can practically fight for points consistently every weekend.”
“The midfield fluctuates; it varies from weekend to weekend and from track to track. Sometimes we were a bit closer to the top 4 at the start of the season. Now we have fallen back a bit,” says the Alpine driver, who is currently ninth in the drivers’ championship.
“The last few weekends have been a bit more complicated, but we are still there and have been very consistent.” Gasly is satisfied with that, but on the other hand, “I would like to see us catch the train ahead a bit more, and hopefully we will manage that in the coming weekends.”
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