Pierre Gasly will start from the back at Silverstone this Sunday, handing the EL1 session over to Jack Doohan in a strategic team decision.
Pierre Gasly confirmed, as he stated earlier in the week, that he will start last at the British Grand Prix. The Alpine F1 driver needs to change his battery, leading to penalty positions that will push him to the back of the grid.
“We had to change the battery; we had some issues earlier in the season that resulted in me ending up with a faulty battery and another that had two or three warnings. We need to change the battery, it’s a 20-place penalty, and we’ll take the opportunity to add an engine since I’ll be starting last,” Gasly explained to Canal+.
He said that the idea to let Jack Doohan drive in EL1, as the Australian continues to prepare for a possible seat in 2025, was his own since he knew his weekend would not be optimal and that focusing on qualifying pace would be pointless.
“I suggested this to the team because I know I’ll be starting at the back, so it makes sense to give him the session. The weekend is compromised, we’ll need to focus on long stints and the race, so we’ll give him some track time and I’ll follow that closely. Even without driving, there’s plenty to learn and analyze from inside the garage.”
Gasly praised Alpine’s progress since the start of the season: “The team is doing a good job. We stayed united early in the season, we were all very disappointed with the performances, but we tried to improve in every area.”
“The team has done very well to reduce the car’s weight and improve parts to aim for better results. We operate the car very well and it is currently at its level. We can’t aim for the top 8 but we hope to score some points.”
Asked about discussions between Carlos Sainz and Alpine, the Frenchman endorses the possible arrival of the Spaniard: “I have nothing to say until I’m asked for my opinion. But I think it’s clear, Carlos is the most experienced and best driver available on the market.”
“I would be delighted to have him by my side next year. He would bring good things to the team, but we have other options. We have Jack, we have Mick [Schumacher] who has already been in F1, so there are different good options.”
Alpine’s Gasly to Begin From Back, Doohan Takes EL1. Alpine’s Gasly to Begin From Back, Doohan Takes EL1
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