Adam Cooper F1

Gasly says that the Barcelona form was a surprise to the team

Pierre Gasly admits that his Alpine Formula 1 team didn’t expect to have a Q3 car in Barcelona and that it is important to find answers that explain why the A524 was so fast in qualifying.

Gasly qualified seventh in Spain, right behind the Ferraris, while his team mate Esteban Ocon moves from his original ninth to eighth thanks to a grid penalty for Sergio Perez.

While welcoming the performance Gasly acknowledged that the team has to understand why the car is competitive.

“I think no one really saw that coming,” he said when asked about his session by this writer.

“And I always told them it’s nicer when we’ve got to explain why you over perform rather than underperform.

“But it’s as important for us to find these answers, because coming here, we definitely didn’t expect to have a Q3 car.

“Since yesterday, there was some performance, and even today, it was a very clean session.

“And looking at the gaps, we are only a tenth-and-a-half from Lewis, and even Carlos and Ferrari managed to win a race not a long time ago.

“So I must say, it’s, very strange, but we take it. It was a good quali, and I think very good boost of motivation for the for the team.”

Asked is he had any clues about why the A524 is so fast in Barcelona he said: “For now, no. I wish! But I can only tell what I feel in the car, and what I feel in the car is very similar to what we’ve had, but we just seem to have somehow more potential available on it.

“So, yeah, we can see a few things here and there which are interesting on data, but we need definitely more digging.”

With Perez penalised the two Alpines are together on the grid again. Asked if he expected an internal discussion about the first lap in the wake of the Monaco collision Gasly suggested that it was likely.

“I think we should, based on the recent event,” he said. “I think as a team, it will be normal, but as a professional, I know what I’ve got to do, and I always kept it very clean, and always keep it very clean.”

The strong Q3 performance with Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo was in the garage at a time when the future direction of the team is under discussion.

“For sure, it’s good,” said Gasly. “It’s been a tough season, and we are all not pleased with the results we’ve been getting so far, Luca, the first one, I know how motivated is with the project.

“And I’m sure on a day like today he’s happy to see the improvements. And we’ve got to keep going. It’s of course good.

“Last year I qualified fourth here, this year seventh. So it’s still work to do, but definitely it’s positive to see some improvements compared to where we started a couple of weeks ago.”

Regarding de Meo’s newly-announced advisor Flavio Briatore Gasly said: “I spoke with him yesterday. I think it was very clear with his ambition, and I want to be at the top of the field, and that’s what he wants as well. So I think we align on the targets and the ambitions for the team.

Sainz thought Ferrari was in the pole fight but high speed bouncing was a hindrance

Carlos Sainz says that that the Ferrari SF-24 is not comfortable on Barcelona’s fast corners as the bouncing phenomenon that has been associated with the current ground effect regulations returned.

The Spaniard admitted that he thought that Ferrari could challenge for pole position only to find the Italian team outpaced by three rival teams in qualifying.

Sainz had to settle for sixth on the grid behind team mate Charles Leclerc as Lando Norris and Max Verstappen secured the front row, and Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took third and fourth.

“Unfortunately, around Q2 we kind of realised that Red Bull when they turn it up and McLaren when they turn it up, they had an edge over us,” said Sainz when asked by this writer about the session.

“Disappointed, because honestly, after free practice, I thought we had a chance to fight for pole position this weekend. But very quickly in Q2 we realised we were just a step too far.

“We could sit here and argue three-hundredths more we would be P3, but the reality is that I’m looking more at the gap to Lando than the gap to the Mercedes. Because three tenths and a half is a lot of lap time around Barcelona.”

Sainz admitted that the margin to the two front row qualifiers was the biggest concern for him.

“Honestly, the Red Bull and the McLaren seemed a bit out of reach,” he said. “The Mercedes are within a tenth of us, and the two Mercedes drivers ahead of the two Ferrari drivers. So it’s extremely tight.

“Extremely good fun, because it is good fun out there. But at the same time, I expected a fight for pole or at least to be within a tenth, tenth and a half of the Red Bull or the McLaren, and we were three and a half, which is, quite a big gap.

“When we look at Suzuka, China, medium/high speed tracks, long corners, reminds me of Barcelona. And there we were also quite a big step far.”

Expanding on the weakness in the faster turns he said: “We’ve been struggling all weekend with the high-speed corners. We still have this bouncing phenomenon that gives us a very tough time in the high-speed corners.

“Probably this is also killing a bit the tyre for the third sector. Still, the third year of these regulations, I’m fighting this for porpoising in high-speed corners when you put lateral load in the car.

“And it’s been tough all weekend to try and get rid of it, and still we haven’t managed to get rid of it.”

Despite the bouncing issue Sainz was upbeat about the upgrades that Ferrari has introduced this weekend.

“They seem to be working fine,” he said. “Three-and-a-half tenths, with all the upgrades that everyone’s bringing, you go back to Suzuka and Japan we were three-and-a-half tenths, half-a-second, maybe a bit more.

“So it’s just I think very track dependent right now for everyone. The only clear ones that they’ve joined the fight is Mercedes, and that Miami upgrade from McLaren has put them from a step back from us to a step forward.

“So yeah, we just keep digging and keep trying to bring things. We’re probably going to need to find something to unlock some more performance in this kind of medium/high-speed tracks where the bouncing and the ride is still important.”

Sainz is optimistic about the team’s prospects for Sunday’s race.

“I think it might be a two-stop race,” he said. “Strategy-wise, we can still do things. Just the starting position in Barcelona is fundamental, and obviously, we’re starting a bit too far back. I’m hoping that we can still do a good race.

“Especially we if get a good start, we get in the mix, and then you’re playing with undercuts, overcuts. And it could be a good race.”

The Sauber team has yet to score a point in 2024

Thus far the 2024 season has not been a great one for Sauber, as the team currently lies 10^th and last in the World Championship as the only entrant yet to have scored a point.

In addition, the C44 has been the slowest car in qualifying in the last four races in Miami, Imola, Monaco and Montreal. That’s not to say that Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have always been stranded in 19^th and 20^th, but every other team has had at least one of its cars ahead on the grid on all of those weekends.

Given that the team is gearing up for Audi works status in 2026, and is trying to convince drivers of the calibre of Carlos Sainz to come in board, it’s not an ideal situation.

Having said that it’s worth recalling that Bottas and Zhou were ninth and 10^th in sprint qualifying in Shanghai in April, and that the Finn made Q3 for the main event that weekend as well.

However, in a midfield where every tenth makes a difference it’s clear that Sauber has lost some momentum as others have developed more effectively.

Indeed, at the last race in Canada despite a high attrition rate ahead and the rain creating an opportunity Bottas and Zhou could manage only 13^th and 15^th places.

Team representative Alessandro Alunni Bravi, the man overseeing operations at the track, admits that it was a difficult afternoon in Montreal.

“First of all, we decided to change the rear wing ahead of the race in order to go for a wet setup to try to maximise an opportunity in case of a full wet race,” the Italian told this writer.

“I think that this choice was correct looking at the race. But we don’t have at this moment enough performance to fight for the points.

“We struggled with the warm-up of the tyres, because we have seen at the start and out of the pit stop, it took our drivers two or three laps to get the tyres in the right temperature window, and there we lost the opportunity to stay close to our competitors, and try to overtake them. But I think that the race was positive, we made the right calls at the right moment.”

Alunni Bravi admits that the team has a lot of catching up to do in the 2024 development race: “We need to work on the performance of the car, because in both dry and wet conditions, we don’t have enough pace to fight for the points.

“This is the situation now. We know that it’s difficult, but the only thing to do is to work and try to develop even further the car, starting from the next race. We have 15 races left, and I cannot imagine that we will stay in this position for so long.

“We are not happy about this situation. I think we need to distinguish between performance and race result. The race results are disappointing, but we have seen that the performance was according to the targets we set out at the beginning of the season.

“But we were not able to translate the performance into race results at the beginning of the season for reliability issues, also linked to the pit stops. And now because compared to the others over a single lap, a qualifying lap, our main competitors did a bigger step.

“We need to recover this gap and to improve, especially our qualifying pace. And to do this, we just need to work hard. Nothing is compromised. But of course, we need a quick reaction.”

Bottas suggested in Montreal that recent updates, while working and finding some performance, are simply not doing enough.

“We brought the developments at each race, not just track specific,” says Alunni Bravi. “In Montreal we had the new rear wing for medium/low downforce level with a new concept, a new family of rear wings, the mono pylon.

“We had also some other parts on the car, a new lower beam wing, and of course, we will have also in Barcelona a track specific rear wing.

“And our development plan is continued during all the season. It is clear that we need to push even more on development, because there is a gap that we need to recover, not just in terms of points, also in terms of performance.

“What we have done is not enough to stay ahead of our main competitors. This is clear, and everybody is aware that we need to do more.”

The fact that the likes of McLaren and Mercedes have shown that it is possible to successfully develop their cars into podium and win contenders does at least provide some inspiration.

“It’s very good for F1 to have unpredictable races and more teams that have the opportunity to fight for podiums and wins,” says Alunni Bravi.

“We have seen that Mercedes recovered the gap in the beginning of the season, and now they are a race contender together with Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren. I think this is a very exciting fight that shows that the championship only ends when the last chequered flag is displayed.

“And this is also important for us. There is a possibility to recover. Nothing is lost. And if we work well, we can also come back to the fight for the points.”

Oliver Bearman looks set to have a Haas seat in 2025 – but he remains cautious

Oliver Bearman says that ongoing speculation that a deal has already been done for him race for the Haas Formula 1 team in 2025 is “unhealthy”.

Bearman was linked with a seat at the US-owned team even before Nico Hulkenberg’s departure for Sauber created a definite opening.

The British teenager did two FP1 sessions for the team last year, and having made his race debut with Ferrari in Saudi Arabia he is continuing with an already planned FP1 programme with Haas, with his latest outing in Barcelona this weekend.

However despite strong suggestions in the paddock he insists that he had not yet been told that he has the race seat for 2025.

“These are all rumours and speculation and stuff, and there’s not really any backing to them,” he said when asked about 2025.

“I try to just stay focused on what I can do on driving the car, and in the end, I try and stay away from this speculation, because it’s unhealthy at the end.”

Bearman downplayed the widespread assumption in the paddock that he will eventually get the Haas seat.

“I don’t know if the assumption is wrong or right,” he said. “I mean, of course, that’s my goal. That’s what I’m aiming towards. There’s no hiding that.

“I have a few things personally that I’ve identified that I want to improve when I’m driving in F1, but that really comes with experience and doing more laps, and I think just me working towards that goal is going to hopefully be enough to get me where I want to be.”

Asked if he has any timeline for a decision he said: “Personally, no. My goal is, of course, as a driver to keep performing well, I think my FP1 in Imola went really well, and I was happy with that.

“So I want to keep doing that. In terms of the timeframe, I don’t have anything defined.”

Bearman conceded that Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur is keeping a close eye on his progress, and that he’s also in contact with Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu.

“So of course, with Fred, first of all, he keeps an eye in the background, probably without me knowing,” he said. “I like to stay updated with him and in the loop, because it’s nice to know where you stand almost.

“Also with Ayao, I didn’t have time to catch up with him during Imola. I knew him last year as being the second in command, let’s say, but now he’s moved to team principal, it’s a much more demanding job. So he didn’t have time to sit down with me during the race weekend.

“But I caught up with him a bit in Maranello as well, and it’s nice to kind of be on the same page. And also having driven the Ferrari quite a lot now, I have a few points where I can find differences between the Ferrari and the Haas, and see if I can help in that way as well.”

Bearman also downplayed the importance of his FP1 programme in securing the drive.

“These practice sessions are also practice for me for the future,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get the chance to do a lot more FP1s, if you catch my drift! 

“So yeah, I don’t feel like I need to prove myself. But that’s really been the case since the beginning, since Mexico last year, my FP1.

“It was made clear to me that I didn’t need to prove myself, that if I just drove within what I’m capable of, that’s already proving So, yeah, I don’t feel like I’m overpushing, or overdoing it. I’m just enjoying the session and using it to build up my knowledge base, basically.”

Bearman admitted that he still has much to learn ahead of a possible graduation.

“I tend to get up to speed pretty well,” he said. “That’s one of my strengths. In Jeddah, that was the case, and even in Imola, I seem to be on the pace pretty quickly.

“But whenever we do a quali sim on soft tyres I don’t make the step that easily, because it’s quite a big step. The track is evolving a lot, the tyre grip is suddenly much higher, and the fuel loads are lower, and I tend not to maximise that yet.

“I don’t need to really overthink that, or worry about it. It’s just something that comes with experience. And it will come, I’m not worried about that. It’s just I’ve identified it as something that I can work on and improve.”

Hulkenberg was quick on wets in the early stages in Montreal

Nico Hulkenberg says the Canadian GP was “intense” and “sketchy” after he survived a tricky race to earn 11^th place for Haas.

Hulkenberg was beset by an aerodynamic issue over the course of the weekend that compromised him in qualifying and saw him start 17^th.

Like team mate Kevin Magnussen he started on full wet tyres, which helped him to move up to seventh in the early laps, before his pace fell away and he had to switch to inters.

Attrition ahead in the late stages helped him to the edge of the points, but he had no regrets about the strategy.

“It paid off,” he said of the call to start on wets. “I don’t know, the first maybe 10 laps we were gaining a lot and picking up a lot of positions, but then eventually it stopped raining and it dried out and it kind of got reversed or undone, all the work we did. A race with so much stuff happening.

“I think we were a bit unlucky with the first safety car. I think timing to go on slicks was good, not on the early side, because it was difficult in sector one, mostly.

“An interesting race, very intense, very sketchy. And a couple of scare moments too. A couple of near in the wall. But I guess that’s kind of normal in these conditions.”

His near misses included a big drift at Turn 2 at around half distance, which he managed to catch.

“There were a couple of moments, I have it, no, I have it, no!,” he said. “I let go of the steering because it was full opposite lock, and I was about, I think, to grab for the clutch, and then somehow it stopped, and I was able to catch it. But, yeah, that was one of them.

“And almost one out of Turn 4 earlier, when it was still more wet, I lost it there, but still managed to get it.”

Hulkenberg was adamant that the aero issue remained in his car throughout.

“The missed opportunity was yesterday, and generally all weekend the problem we’ve had on my car that somehow it’s not, I think, fully healthy on the aero side, or somewhere,” he said.

“I still feel after the race that I have a problem with it, that is not fully in at 100% where we’re supposed to be.

“But obviously you do what you can with what you have. Also not having the Friday, not having time to react after that, it’s just all together a difficult weekend with the circumstances.”

Expanding on the aero issue he said: “I think the whole weekend, especially on my side of the garage, from lap one, I didn’t feel right and happy with the car.

“And we need to investigate what was going on, because that really compromised our weekend, and obviously everything that happened, and then quali cost us a better result. I’m sure with a better quali that we normally have, if we started further ahead, we would have scored points.”

Ocon and Gasly swapped places with a lap to go in Montreal

Pierre Gasly says the delay in getting past his Alpine Formula 1 team mate Esteban Ocon at the end of the Canadian GP was “no big deal” despite it potentially costing him a place.

In the closing laps Ocon and Gasly were running ninth and 10^th, with the former suffering with a power unit issue.

Ocon was asked to let Gasly past in order to have a shot at Daniel Ricciardo in front. He initially declined to do so, saying “forget it” on the team radio.

Eventually he moved over at the end of the penultimate lap, making it clear that he expected the positions to be reversed if Gasly couldn’t pass Ricciardo.

However it was too late for Gasly to challenge the VCARB driver, and then he team opted not to switch the positions back at the final corner, much to Ocon’s obvious frustration.

“I think today I’ve done my part of the job,” Ocon said after the flag. “I don’t think the team did their part of the job. I’ve been a team player, and I’ve always respected the instructions that I’ve been given, always. It’s always been the case, I showed it once more today.

“But yeah, the nice guy doesn’t always pay off in F1, and that is that is bothering me a lot. I hope things will turn around for me.”

The ninth and 10^th place finishes still represented the Enstone team’s best performance of the season to date.

“First of all I think the main news should be that we scored points with both cars,” said Gasly when asked by this writer about the team order discussion.

“And looking at all the simulation this morning, none of them looked that it will be achievable. So definitely a very positive day for the team.

“The target was quite clear at the end, I was faster on the hard tyre towards the end of the race, and I was right behind Daniel, and as soon as Daniel overtook Esteban, the goal was for the other car to let me pass, and for the last four laps to try to overtake Daniel with the DRS. It took slightly more time than we would have liked. But honestly, it’s no big deal.”

Regarding the timing of Ocon letting him by he added: “What’s tricky is these two laps is just enough for Daniel to break the DRS, and then when you do it two laps at the end, it’s, it’s too far away than it would have been done slightly earlier – I mean the DRS, and you get slightly more chances.

“But honestly, it’s no big deal. I still think we did a great teamwork today. We tried different stuff, we stayed out on the inter, I boxed, I put the hard tyres, we got some good data. 

“I think it was a very good day for the whole team, and to come out with these three points could be very valuable at the end of the year.”

Gasly admitted he was fortunate to survive a heavy nudge from Sergio Perez at the exit of the second corner on the first lap.

“I definitely thought that this will be it. And on a day like today, you just want to see the chequered flag. I haven’t really seen what’s happened. Visibility was extremely poor.

“All I felt is suddenly I was sideways, and I lost all the positions, we were almost lost by that time. And that’s why when I made the call to go on hard, I knew that it was touch and go, and when I came out of the pits it was very, very tough to stay on track.”

Gasly was the first driver to pit for slicks, although he nearly went off as he exited the pits.

“I couldn’t even turn!”, he said. “I was full lock, and the car was just even, like, first gear, just not turning. But then I was trying to get to the dry bit to get some grip. And I think looking back, it was a lap too early.

“But I knew I had to try it, because if I wanted to have a potential gain, then it was definitely worth the risk. And then after that, I actually managed to overtake a lot of cars. I built up some temperature, and managed to get by quite a lot of guys.

“So it was quite pleasant compared to last week [Monaco], where you’ve seen the same rear wing for the entire race. At least this weekend, it felt like there was quite a lot of action, and it was quite enjoyable.”

He added: “I think there was a lot of putting the wheels in the right place. And sometimes you could see that there was a different approach. And it was very fun, because it felt like karting days, where your line is not the ideal line, sometimes you’re all over the kerb.

“But then if it means your outside tyre on the dry bit, then you get extra grip. It was very fun, as the track was drying, just trying to figure out where the best grip is. And I think we did well in these conditions.

“I think the pace was looking pretty strong in the last few laps, the sort of normal pace, kind of everything got closer to the normal order of qualifying. But it was quite enjoyable condition.”

Gasly admits that Alpine still has much to do to improve the A524 and has to make the most of any chances that come.

“At the end of the day it was good teamwork,” he said. “That’s what we need until the end of the year, because we know Williams seems to have a competitive car, looking at the qualifying they had yesterday, it was quite impressive. Haas seems to have some good pace at times.

“And we know on days like today, we’ve got to make the best out of what we have, and we can’t afford to do any mistakes, and we can’t afford to take any unnecessary risk. So it was well-managed, and hopefully we’re going to continue like that until the end of the year.

“We won’t have any upgrades in the near future. We know the target is to have something a bit more significant at some stage in the year. I expect the next few races to be quite hard if its normal conditions, but this is F1, and you always have chances at times.

“So that’s why we’ve got to make sure we stay on top of it, and until we have the upgrades, just try to grab any opportunities that may arise.”