Pierre Gasly will start Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix from seventh on the grid after a strong qualifying lap, which he called one of his best Q3 efforts of the season. Earlier on Saturday, the BWT Alpine Formula One Team had a tough Sprint. Gasly lacked power on the straights and finished ninth, while Franco Colapinto retired after his car shut down.

Saturday at the Singapore Grand Prix brought mixed results for the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. The day opened with a Sprint that went wrong for both cars and ended with Pierre Gasly earning a good grid position for Sunday’s main race.

Power problems in the Sprint

Both Alpine drivers started the Sprint on new intermediate tyres. Gasly started tenth and finished ninth, with a fastest lap of 1min 47.776secs. The Frenchman said he struggled for straight-line speed throughout the race. According to the team, the power issue left him unable to attack the cars ahead, and those cars went on to score points.

Colapinto started eleventh but did not finish and set no lap time. The Argentine said the car lost power and “everything shut down”. Alpine says it suspects an Energy Store fault. The team says it found the problem and replaced the part before qualifying, using components already in its allocated pool.

Gasly takes risks in qualifying

Gasly turned the day around in qualifying, reaching Q3 and placing eighth with 1min 32.225secs. A penalty for Mercedes driver George Russell moves him up to seventh on the grid. Gasly said he built up his confidence lap by lap on a street circuit he described as very unforgiving, and that his final run was right on the limit.

“I took a lot of risks on that final run, really on the edge, touched a few walls, but that’s what we needed to get the Racing Bulls.”

Colapinto was knocked out in Q2 and qualified 16th with 1min 33.787secs. He said Q1 went well, but after that the car became harder to drive. He described a “strange balance shift” that left him short of rear grip, especially on his final Q2 lap. He also touched the wall in the last sector, though he said by then he was already well off his earlier pace, so it did not change his final position.

What the team says

Managing Director Steve Nielsen called it a “bittersweet” day. He said Gasly’s qualifying result gives the team a real chance to score points, which he described as increasingly important in its championship battle. The team says it is still working to understand Colapinto’s balance and grip problems.

“It is important we target a smooth race tomorrow, rely on some of our strengths from recent Sundays and aim to put ourselves in a position to score as many points as possible.”

An open race ahead

Gasly pointed out that the teams have had little practice time on high fuel loads, so Sunday’s race is an unknown for everyone. Starting from 16th, Colapinto said he hopes to move forward. He noted that the weather and retirements often make anything possible in Singapore.

Saturday in numbers: BWT Alpine Formula One Team

  • Sprint – Pierre Gasly: started P10 (new intermediates), finished P9; fastest lap 1min 47.776secs
  • Sprint – Franco Colapinto: started P11 (new intermediates), DNF; no lap time set
  • Qualifying – Pierre Gasly: P8, 1min 32.225secs (starts P7 after George Russell’s penalty)
  • Qualifying – Franco Colapinto: P16, 1min 33.787secs
  • Car: Alpine A526

The Singapore Grand Prix takes place on Sunday.

Source: media.alpinecars.com