MIAMI — Week by week, lap by lap and second by second, Alpine is making progress.
The latest step in the development of the F1 team? Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon not only made it to Q2 for the second race in a row, they caused even more noise midway through the Miami Grand Prix here. When Q1 ended, there was a shock in the top 10.
Gasly moves into fifth place.
In the end, both drivers were eliminated in Q2, with Gasly set to start 12th in Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, with Ocon following closely behind in 13th.
For Gasly, this is another sign that the team is moving in the right direction.
“I think I can be satisfied,” Gasly told the media after qualifying. SB Nation. “And that just shows that we’re heading in the right direction. ”
Gasly also mentioned how close he was to qualifying for Q3.
“But overall, we’re only a tenth of a way out of the top 10,” Gasly added.
On the other side of the Alpine garage, Ocon was feeling a little more frustrated by his Q2 loss. “Everyone is saying, ‘Yeah, we’ll have two cars in Q2,’ so it looks good. But I mean, we’ve been through a lot this year,” Ocon said after qualifying. “There was a lot more on the table this session.”
However, Ocon spoke more optimistically about his team’s chances and race pace on Sunday.
“Yeah, we’ll see what we can get in tomorrow’s race,” Ocon added. “The changes should be appropriate for race pace.”
Both drivers will start inside the top 15 tomorrow, giving the team its best starting position so far this season. And if Ocon’s predictions regarding race pace come true, it could mean another step forward for the team this season.
Taken together, Alpine has a chance to accomplish what they haven’t yet achieved this season.
Take home some points.
