Team Talk - Sunday at Spa-Francorchamps

Alpine

Pierre Gasly

“It was a very intense race and I am pleased that we were able to make the right calls to come away with one point, which we can be satisfied with today. We made some very good decisions like opting for an aggressive, low downforce set-up, which allowed us to attack and defend on the straights and also pitting at the right time for dry tyres as the track dried up early on. So, I am very happy with that and that hard work has paid off today. It is only a point but, after a race like that, defending from a number of cars for so long, we can be pleased. Every year, Spa is a special weekend for me for many reasons so it was nice to have my family here alongside Anthoine's mum too. We take a point away and we go into Hungary next week ready to go again for the final one before the summer break.”

Franco Colapinto

“It was a tough and long race for us. With the conditions, there was always likely to be some opportunity even starting from fifteenth after some cars started from the Pit Lane. It was very wet to begin and the conditions probably came to us as it dried as we opted for a low downforce wing to prioritise straight line speed. The start was good, we caught up the cars in front, before pitting for dry tyres. We seemed to struggle for pace on the Medium in traffic. We then pitted again to cover Carlos [Sainz] but, in the end, we could not make any progress towards him. Well done to Pierre for finishing in tenth and scoring a point for the team. On our side, it was a tricky weekend and I know we will continue to work hard in the week to prepare for the next race in Hungary.”

Flavio Briatore

“The conditions were typical of Spa today, as I have seen on many occasions over the years and it made for an interesting race from the pit wall. A big thank you to the fans in the grandstands who waited patiently for the race to start. It was a tough weekend for the team at a track that we know doesn't play to the strengths of our package. We tried something different by running less wing, which wasn't easy in those conditions. So, it's good to at least come away with a point and Pierre did well to keep the Red Bull, Haas and others behind in the closing stages. We pitted Franco to cover Carlos at the end but in the position they were in, it was unlikely to alter the outcome of the race.”