Gasly urges Alpine to build on ‘story of my life’ Monza weekend

Pierre Gasly could hardly have scripted a more extraordinary Italian Grand Prix weekend – even by the standards of a Formula 1 career that has already delivered its fair share of twists and turns.

From the disappointment last week on of having his Monaco podium reinstated and then seeing that decision overturned on appeal, to producing a sensational first career pole position at Monza six years after claiming his maiden F1 victory at the same venue, the Alpine driver experienced an emotional rollercoaster in the space of just a few days.

And while Sunday ultimately brought a seventh-place finish rather than another fairy-tale podium, Gasly emerged from Monza with a spring in his step and renewed belief in what Alpine can achieve.

“Story of my life. Yeah, there’s been a lot going on,” he said on Sunday.

The Frenchman’s pole was the weekend’s biggest surprise, and he converted it into an equally impressive opening stint by holding the lead through the first lap before Alpine’s race-day deficit to the frontrunners inevitably began to tell.

Yet rather than dwelling on what might have been, Gasly focused on the remarkable transformation in Alpine’s atmosphere – and the momentum that could now propel the team forward.

“For sure, the last 24 hours have been extremely fun and extremely enjoyable with all the energy, the motivation in the garage, the reaction of the whole team,” he said.

“I’m sure it’s going to bring a huge boost to all of us. As I say, from where we came last year, today I was looking at the cars ahead, they were a couple of seconds in front of us, we finished 18 seconds [ahead of Arvid] Lindblad.

“So, the gap with the cars in front was smaller than the gap to the cars behind. It’s something we’ve got to build on, and hopefully we can repeat this kind of performance so often.”

A weekend Alpine must seize

Gasly’s seventh place was his strongest result since Barcelona and came after a difficult spell for Alpine.

He crossed the line less than three seconds behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and 27.351 seconds behind race winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli – evidence that the Enstone-based outfit had taken a meaningful step forward at a circuit where efficiency and straight-line performance are crucial.

For a driver who had started from pole, however, there was inevitably going to be a tantalising question about what might have been.

Gasly admitted that his realistic side was delighted with the outcome, even if another part of him could not help imagining a different scenario after such a spectacular qualifying performance.

“I mean, the part of me that is very realistic is very satisfied,” he said of his race.

“Starting from pole, you must have a side of you that thinks, ‘OK, what can happen over 54 laps?’

“But, I’ve got to be honest, before the race we knew the pace in the race was going to be extremely difficult to stay up there and fight with the top guys.

“I’m very happy with the two starts, two great starts. I managed to keep the lead on the first one. Great on the second; battled slightly, stayed in the right train for the first 10 laps, which was really good.

“[There was the] battle with Lando [Norris], who won the last two races.

“So, from where we’ve come from, it’s very positive. And to finish three seconds behind Lewis [Hamilton], who’s been fighting for podiums this year, was the same.

“So, not going to be disappointed with that. Obviously, the end results is P7; you always wish you can get more out of it. But we’ve just got to take all the positives from the weekend because there were many.”

From Monza magic to a bigger picture

Perhaps the most encouraging element for Gasly was not simply the headline-grabbing pole, but the feeling that Alpine had finally produced a car capable of giving him confidence across an entire weekend.

“It’s the best car I’ve had this year and most consistent,” he admitted. “There is some stuff that explains it and some stuff we need to understand.

“I have a couple of ideas on why it could be, but we need more tracks.

“Monza is very special and very unique, so over the next few days it will be important to understand more about this performance and try to repeat it more in the coming weekends.”

Monza offered Alpine indeed a tantalising glimpse of what might be possible, but Gasly knows one spectacular weekend is not enough. The challenge now is to turn the energy generated by his pole, his opening-lap lead and his seventh-place finish into something repeatable.

For a team that has endured its share of frustration, Monza supplied something potentially more valuable than a single result: momentum.

And Gasly is determined that Alpine does not let it slip away.

Read also:

Team Talk: A memorable Sunday at Monza

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