Ocon Struggles as Alpine Progress Falls Short in Qualifying

Gasly Defies Expectations with Strong Q3 Performance in Mexico

Gasly impresses in Mexican GP qualifying, while Ocon battles uncertainty amid Alpine’s fluctuating progress.

Pierre Gasly qualified eighth for the Mexican Grand Prix, marking his second consecutive appearance in Q3. The Alpine F1 driver is pleased with this achievement and aims to build on it in the race by scoring points for his team.

“It feels really good, it’s been a tough weekend overall. Even this morning, we were last, struggling with grip, and the feeling wasn’t right. We expected it to be difficult to get out of Q1, but we made it to our second consecutive Q3. I’m really pleased; we managed to optimise what we had,” said Gasly.

“It’s positive to see the new parts working, even if the window is narrow. But there’s potential. I saw the gap with Magnussen, it’s a shame because I ran out of battery before the finish and lost some speed. But we’re still in the fight for seventh place and for being the best of the midfield, so that’s really encouraging.”

Esteban Ocon didn’t enjoy the same success, being eliminated in Q1 and securing 19th place on the grid. The Frenchman is frustrated by his inability to understand the loss of performance and ease, hoping to make up ground during the race.

“A disappointing session, for sure. We had issues with the car during the session; it wasn’t behaving like it did in FP1 and FP2, and we need to understand why. It’s disappointing to qualify so poorly, and it’s another difficult session,” lamented Ocon.

“Last year, we were poorly qualified for the race, but we managed to finish in the points. As we’ve seen in the past, anything can happen, so we’re going to try to finish in the points and maximise the car’s potential.”