After three weeks of “spring break” in the F1 calendar season afterward the first three races, the category heads to Baku for the sixth Azerbaijan Grand Prix in F1 after an eventful race at Melbourne where one of the hot topics was the clash between Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, making both Frenchmen end the race 13th and 14th just when the former AlphaTauri driver was racing in 5th position.
The 27-year-old spoke to the media in Baku and expressed every possibility of tension inside the team was discarded because everything was sorted out between both sides of the Alpine garage before heading into the three-week break, back in the first days of April.
“I think it was quite unfortunate. We sat down and I think it was quite important to discuss things out with the team and with Esteban, and feeling what we both could have done differently, particularly myself more than him or himself more than me, but it was just an unfortunate situation.”
“Kind of wrong time wrong place for both of us, but everything is fine obviously. It was a long flight back home because until up to that point I was in fifth position, with 10 points. It would have been nice to secure these points for the team on the third race but then I look back and we have another 20 races ahead and definitely feeling positive about the performance that we showed, I felt more comfortable in the car in the same setup and the directions that we chose so more looking at it in a positive way.
“It’s been very easy to discuss things out. And then, as I said, we think it was just quite clear, what happened on track and we discussed the situation, what things could have been different? and at the end of the day, it’s all fine and we move on and there was nothing particular, just disappointment from all of us, myself, the team and on Esteban’s side, to not be able to get the points for the team.”
In spite of what resulted in a negative result by the Enstone-based team in Australia, Gasly assures he was happy with the performance shown by the A523, despite having competed in very different tracks (Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne) but keeping the same essential setup. The 2020 Italian Grand Prix winner was running in a very strong P5 at Albert Park before the red flag for Magnussen’s accident changed everything.
“I was quite… let’s say ‘impressed’, with our performance related to Jeddah where we struggled a bit more and that’s why I’m quite optimistic for the rest of the season, it really shows there is some good potential in the package we got.
“We have nice upgrades coming during the break. I went to the factory and saw all the work that the team is putting into bringing new developments and when I see we were able to fight in Melbourne… I’m definitely hopeful for the rest of the year.
“Of course we’ll have to see what’s on the other teams but I think it’s relatively a different floor. We’re confident that it will bring some decent performance. But once again, if others do not improve, yes, it’s going to be significant, but if everyone improves, might be smaller than what we think it actually is. I want to see on the track, laptime wise,” he concluded.
