Third place in grand prix “feels a lot better” than in a sprint race – Gasly

Pierre Gasly said he was very satisfied to take his first podium finish for Alpine after suffering a number of setbacks since joining the team.

Despite picking up a five-second time penalty early in the race, Gasly took the chequered flag in fourth position. He then benefited from Sergio Perez’s five-second time penalty to claim the last spot on the rostrum.

“It’s obviously very satisfying when you get a reward for the work that we are all putting in, in the team,” he said.

It is Gasly’s first podium finish since the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. “Last year with AlphaTauri we were nowhere near a podium finish at any point, we just didn’t have the speed,” he said.

“I think this year we came close in Monaco, running in third position and it was clearly a missed opportunity with the extra stop which wasn’t necessary. But it’s sort of season where you’ve just got to keep trying again and again and there’s going to be a point where things are going to click and today it did.”

Gasly rose from 12th on the grid to finish on the podium. He was one of seven drivers who pitted as soon as rain started to fall on the first lap, which helped him move up the order.

“It was probably the most challenging race of the year,” he said. “There were a lot of obstacles, there were many moments where we could have got it wrong but as a team we just tried to maximise that.

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“That’s why I’m really pleased and really proud of the team because we haven’t been really fortunate. But you’ve got to keep trying and keep looking at yourself and seeing the areas where you can improve, and that’s what we’ve been doing.”

He also finished third in the previous round, in the sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps. But Gasly said taking third place in a full length grand prix meant more to him.

“The top-three [finish] in Spa didn’t feel the same,” he said. “Obviously it was a third place but it’s a sprint and I didn’t get to go on the podium.

“Clearly this one feels a lot better and I hope we can build up from there with the guys.”

Gasly said he was “really excited to get back in the car” after the summer break and “today was probably the most fun I’ve had all season.”

“It was very exciting to be fighting for these positions. There were important calls to make but the whole team executed a very strong race.”

He admitted feeling frustrated at some of the setbacks he suffered in the first part of the season.

“I’m pleased because we haven’t been very fortunate since the start of the year, kind of involving some unfortunate situations on many occasions which cost us some points and built some frustration,” he said.

“But you’ve got to keep your head down and always trying to improve what you can and today it paid off. So, big congrats to the guys and it’s a great way to restart the second part of the year.”

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