After the first point in Miami, the time had finally come at the eighth Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula 1 season: the troubled Alpine made it into the top 10 in qualifying. Pierre Gasly stormed to P10 with full risk and partly on three wheels. Frustrated for Esteban Ocon: Pace would have been good enough to scratch the top 5.
Pierre Gasly risks his last shirt in Monaco – successfully
“That was the most important Saturday of the year. And we did the best job,” said Pierre Gasly, delighted with his (and Alpine’s) first Q3 appearance this season – on the difficult track in Monaco of all places. “We had to take a lot of risks. I had to take a lot of risks!”
Gasly says he left tire marks on every wall around the 3.337-kilometer Circuit de Monaco. “I’ve never pushed myself to the limit like I have this year,” he says. The feeling in the A524 this weekend was better than ever, and without a mistake in Q3, even more would have been possible. “Unfortunately, I touched the wall and destroyed a tire. In the end, I was only driving on three tires.”
The French team also owes its success to Alpine substitute driver Jack Doohan, who turned night into day and tried out a few different setup directions. “Jack did a very good job in the simulator. His eyes were a bit small today,” smiles Gasly. The success is important for the whole team: At times it would have been difficult to keep up the motivation due to the poor performances.
Esteban Ocon: Despite mistakes in qualifying, hopes for Formula 1 points still live
On the other side of the garage, the mood is not quite as euphoric. “That was incredibly frustrating. But it’s my own fault,” says Esteban Ocon. “I had the pace to get into Q3, if not close to the top five. Then I made a mistake in turn 1 and my lap was ruined.” So P11 was the maximum.
Charles Leclerc is definitely in a promising position. The local hero starts the Monaco Grand Prix from pole. It was a similar daring ride to that of Pierre Gasly: advertising banners, engine problems… Click here for the article.