Pierre Gasly was pleased to score points in the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, particularly when a problem just before the start meant he was forced to start from the pit lane.

The Scuderia AlphaTauri driver was starting his one hundredth Grand Prix last Sunday and he was set to start the race from ninth on the grid, but a problem with his AT-03 saw him wheeled to the garage, and the car was restarted just in time for him to compete.

Gasly says scoring points at Spa-Francorchamps was good for the morale of the AlphaTauri team, with top ten finishes hard to come by in a season where they were hoping to progress.

“Scoring points is good for team morale, but I had to work hard for them after a last-minute problem meant I started my 100th Grand Prix from the pitlane, so getting back into the points from there was amazing,” said Gasly.  

Last year saw Gasly enjoy a strong Dutch Grand Prix, starting and finishing inside the top four, and although the cars are very different to how they were twelve months ago, he hopes what AlphaTauri learned in 2021 can help them be competitive again at the Circuit Zandvoort in 2022.

“There is more performance to get out of our car and of course we will work on that during Friday and hope for clean sessions,” the Frenchman added.

“Apart from Baku last year, Zandvoort was my best weekend, qualifying fourth and finishing fourth in the race, ahead of both Ferraris. It was a super Grand Prix on a track layout that is very complicated, so I was really happy with the result.

“I like the track, it’s difficult to drive and it has plenty of challenges. It’s a bit old-school with the banking and it’s a place where you cannot make mistakes – not quite like Monaco but in the same style. There are no tarmac run off areas and if you get it wrong, you are straight in the gravel or a wall, while the corners are unusual. 

“The cars are very different this year, but I hope that with everything we learned about the race there last season, we can have another good result, to score more points and head for the end of the triple-header in Monza on a positive note.”

“We now have a better understanding of our car” – Yuki Tsunoda

Like Gasly, team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was forced to start the Belgian Grand Prix from the pit lane, although this was predetermined following an engine grid penalty and aero changes between Qualifying and the race.

However, the Japanese racer was unable to follow his team-mate into the points and he admitted it was an ‘untidy’ weekend all round for him despite having a car that had the pace to be a top ten contender.

“It was good to be racing again after the break,” said Tsunoda. “It was a bit of an untidy weekend and having to start from the pitlane, but on the positive side, I was generally pleased with how I drove over the three days and we had quite good pace from the car.”

Tsunoda failed to finish the Dutch Grand Prix in 2021 but enjoyed his experience from last season, and he hopes to come back stronger this year and fight for points on Sunday. 

He has failed to break into the top ten in any Grand Prix since the Spanish Grand Prix in May, and he is looking to end the run of eight consecutive races without a point at Zandvoort.

“Now we head to the Netherlands, as the middle race in the European triple-header,” said Tsunoda.  “I’ve actually visited the track since the last race here, as I did some filming with Max, in another Red Bull challenge. I had lots of fun driving old DAF cars in reverse and it gave me a flavour of what’s to come this week with the atmosphere in the Netherlands.

“I had to retire from last year’s race at Zandvoort. I did enjoy the weekend up to that point, as I really like the track and the massive banking at Turn 4 for example.

“It’s very enjoyable and fun to drive, so I am interested to see how this year’s new cars, which are much stiffer and with their 18-inch tyres will behave here in the banked corners and over the bumps.

“If we can have a clean time in Zandvoort I think we can aim for points as we now have a better understanding of our car and how to get more out of it.”