Pierre Gasly believes the new upgrade package brought by Alpine to Zandvoort has given the team a “big jump forward” in the Formula 1 midfield. The Frenchman backed up that claim with an impressive performance in sprint qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, securing eighth place and beating a Red Bull and direct midfield rivals Racing Bulls and Audi.
It was a timely boost for Alpine, who had rushed the upgrade to Zandvoort in a bid to move back to the head of the midfield pack. Gasly confirmed that the early signs from the new parts were promising, citing better feeling and responsiveness in the car.
“It’s definitely positive. The feeling inside the car is a lot better,” he said. “The upgrade reacts to what I was trying to do with my driving inside the cockpit. It’s only been two sessions, so a lot to understand. But in terms of performance signs, it’s definitely a big jump forward which is positive and hopefully we can build on that.”
The decision to fast-track the upgrade meant Alpine had to make a difficult call by fitting the new parts to Gasly’s car only. Without the benefit of the updated A526, team-mate Franco Colapinto felt he maximised his performance but could only take 13th.
“It was a good lap but it is quite frustrating when you are so far away of your team-mate,” Colapinto admitted. “The upgrades are working really very well, which is very positive on one side, but it’s sad because when you don’t have them you are really close, but you are far [away] because they are working well.”
He added, “We lack pace compared to the RBs and the Audis. The good part is that Pierre is ahead of them, so the upgrade made us jump them again, which is really, really positive for the future.”
With the midfield battle as tight as ever, Alpine’s progress could be crucial for the remainder of the season. Gasly, meanwhile, is eager to convert this encouraging pace into points during the sprint and the grand prix, while acknowledging there is still work to be done.
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