The F1 midfield team that made “big jump forward” with split Zandvoort upgrade
Alpine's new upgrades have been given the thumbs up by Pierre Gasly.
Alpine’s new upgrade package has enabled the team to make a “big jump forward” in Formula 1’s midfield, according to Pierre Gasly.
Gasly secured best of the rest status with a strong lap to claim eighth place in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix sprint race, as he outpaced a Red Bull and Alpine’s direct midfield rivals Racing Bulls and Audi.
Alpine brought forward a significant upgrade to Zandvoort in the hope of moving back to the head of the midfield pack, and Gasly confirmed promising early signs from the new parts.
“It’s definitely positive. The feeling inside the car is a lot better,” the Frenchman said after sprint qualifying.
“The upgrade reacts to what I was trying to do with my driving inside the cockpit. It’s only been two sessions, so a lot to understand.
“But in terms of performance signs, it’s definitely a big jump forward which is positive and hopefully we can build on that.
“I’m hoping we can translate that into good points for the weekend. We still need to look for more, it’s not perfect but overall, definitely a good step.”
The decision to fast-track the upgrade meant Alpine had to make a difficult call by fitting the new parts to Gasly’s car only. Without the benefit of the updated A526, team-mate Franco Colapinto felt he maximised his performance but could only take 13th.
“It was a good lap but it is quite frustrating when you are so far away of your team-mate,” Colapinto admitted.
"The upgrades are working really very well, which is very positive on one side, but it’s sad because when you don’t have them you are really close, but you are far [away] because they are working well.
“It’s been a good day. I progressed quite a lot and we made the car quite a bit better. We’re going in the right direction but still we are lacking the same as the last few races.
“We lack pace compared to the RBs and the Audis. The good part is that Pierre is ahead of them, so the upgrade made us jump them again, which is really, really positive for the future. So on that side happy and positive."
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