©AlphaTauri
Pierre Gasly spared no expense while preparing for this weekend's inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the AlphaTauri charger undergoing a massive 130-lap sim session to get acquainted with the venue's track.
Although AlphaTauri introduced updates at Imola for its AT03, the event's sprint race format – which included just two practice sessions - and a difficult Sunday spent stuck in the thick of the midfield made it difficult to properly assess the new parts.
The Frenchman is therefore looking forward to a return to a traditional schedule in Miami and to a clean weekend at the track to gauge the changes.
"We had some updates, but it was hard to assess them because of the conditions on track, so I’m looking forward to going to Miami to have a normal weekend with three free practice sessions, which will allow us to really do some testing and draw some conclusions," Gasly said.
"I’ve driven Miami on the simulator. I think I did around 130 laps and it looks as though it could be a really fun track to drive with high-speed corners and some sections that are very slow and technical with long straights, so I reckon it could be a great race."
Like his colleagues, Gasly can't wait to take in the "special energy" that F1's American organisers in Miami will unleash and which will hopefully help him return to the points on Sunday.
"I like the fun side of racing in the States, as the organisers always try and do something special in terms of entertainment to keep the crowd happy," he said.
"I spend quite a bit of time in the States, and I try and take in some of their popular sports, such as the NBA, the NFL and hockey.
"Every time I go, I am amazed at how they create a special energy, a special atmosphere which is incredible," added Gasly.
"I think they are planning something along those lines for Miami to make it a stand-out event.
"My main hope is that we can continue to score points in every race and from my point of view, get back into the good rhythm we had in the first three races and forget about the Imola weekend."
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