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Pierre Gasly says his final lap in Q3 was a special one as he secured third place on the grid for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Alpine scored a shock double-podium at the last race in Brazil, with Gasl…
Pierre Gasly expressed his excitement for securing third place on the grid for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, highlighting his special final lap in Q3. At the previous race in Brazil, Alpine achieved a double-podium finish with Gasly in third and Esteban Ocon in second, setting high expectations for their performance in Las Vegas. Despite the dry and cold qualifying conditions in Las Vegas, Gasly’s exceptional driving skills propelled him to the top three positions, trailing only George Russell and Carlos Sainz. Gasly credited the team’s consistent hard work and improvement throughout the season, emphasizing their remarkable progress from starting at the back in Bahrain to now contending for top positions.
Alpine implemented an aggressive downforce strategy at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit, opting for minimal downforce to maximize straight-line speed, even at the cost of compromising cornering ability. Gasly felt confident in his car’s handling from the beginning of practice sessions, culminating in a successful qualifying session where he managed to extract great pace with only one set of new tires. The French driver acknowledged the challenging nature of the track and the cold weather conditions but remained optimistic about their chances for the race.
Gasly, currently ahead of both Red Bulls, McLarens, and Charles Leclerc on the grid, emphasized the team’s primary focus on defending their sixth place in the constructors’ standings rather than solely aiming to outperform specific competitors. The driver expressed determination to give his best performance in the race, acknowledging the potential challenges posed by tire graining. Despite his impressive qualifying result, Gasly remains grounded and aims to maximize their chances of scoring valuable points in the Grand Prix.
