Pierre Gasly braced himself for the possibility of anchoring the grid in Bahrain, his expectations shadowed by the Alpine car’s performance woes noted during pre-season testing. The prognosis of many within the paddock suggested Alpine might find itself languishing at the back, a prediction that crystallized into reality when Gasly secured the last spot on the grid, trailing just behind his compatriot and Alpine cohort, Esteban Ocon.
“It’s never pleasant,” Gasly confided to France’s Canal Plus, a note of resignation in his voice. “But, honestly, unfortunately, that’s where we are.”
The challenge wasn’t just the car’s excess weight; the Renault engine powering the Alpine also trailed behind its competitors in the horsepower race.
“We expected to suffer and we are already suffering,” admitted team principal Bruno Famin, acknowledging the gap to their rivals. “We are not where we want, we know that, but there are developments that will happen.”
Gasly, aligning his expectations with reality, had prepared for a tough start in Bahrain.
“It’s a shame and there’s a lot of work ahead of us, we know that,” he remarked. The team had foreseen this scenario, yet the resolve to push through was palpable. “Developments must happen now, but for the moment we must do the best possible. We saw it coming since the tests. The car doesn’t react the way we want it to.”
Facing the grid’s tail end stings, yet Gasly sees the broader picture: “It hurts to see yourself at the back of the grid. But nothing is ever lost either, it’s the first race of the year. A lot can still happen.”
The current state of affairs is a far cry from what might have been envisioned a few months back. “Naturally, our performance is much worse than it seemed a few months ago. So for now we just have to be patient. It’s not fun for everyone, not just me as the driver but all of those who are working crazy hours. We’re all in the same boat.”
However, there’s a glimmer of optimism in Gasly’s outlook, “We have been open and objective about our situation and I believe that the team will find the solution so that we take the necessary step forward,” he concluded, his gaze fixed on the horizon, where the promise of progress beckons.
