F1 | AlphaTauri, Gasly: ​​“The Sakhir track has usually always suited our car”

The last race weekend in Turkey did not prove particularly easy for AlphaTauri due to the difficulties encountered in bringing the tires up to temperature. Problems that, in reality, she had not encountered in two other Grands Prix where this issue had had an important relevance, such as in Portimao and Imola, where she had in fact managed to gain an excellent position in the battle of the midfield.

Expectations to do well in Istanbul were high among the Italian team, but the asphalt and conditions had completely revolutionized the situation, leaving AlphaTauri at the bottom of the standings without the possibility of fighting for points. A significant problem, especially for a team that until the Imola round was fighting for sixth place in the constructors' championship with Ferrari, even if the latter, during the Turkish GP, then managed to gain a points loot. A weekend that Pierre Gasly immediately wants to cancel, focusing on the next round: “There's not much to say about Turkey, it was our worst weekend of the year, which is why I want to put it behind me and focus on the next two rounds in Bahrain . In Istanbul, with the cold and the slippery track, we weren't able to make the car work properly and it was only the second race of the year in which the team wasn't able to score points" – said the Frenchman in the usual preview .

“At least in Bahrain we shouldn't have any problems getting the tires up to temperature! We should go back to racing in more normal conditions. It's a track that has usually always suited our car, especially if we think back to that fourth place in 2018, my best finish in F1 at the time. I like the track a lot. We'll be racing there at a different time than usual – as we usually go in April – but over there the temperature change isn't that significant from one month to the next. Returning to the Middle East will feel familiar, considering I spent the two months there following what would have been the Australian GP. We will now be there for almost three weeks, so by the end of 2020 I will have spent almost a quarter of the year there. I'm aiming to end the season in the best possible way starting from these two races in Bahrain. This year we had a good car at our disposal and we were competitive almost everywhere. So, I think we can fight for more points, even if it will be difficult to climb up the constructors' championship. I will tackle the last three races by focusing on one at a time, then we will see what we can do", added Gasly.

After the first round, Formula 1 will always remain in Bahrain for a second round in Sakhir, taking advantage of a different layout of the circuit, removing the slowest part of the track: “The Bahrain track – at least, in the version in which we have already raced – It has straights that are ideal for overtaking which is facilitated by the fairly wide road surface. There are some interesting curves and it's quite technical. The second race will take place on a new layout and something completely different than usual awaits us, because the track almost looks like an oval. There are only four corners, so everything will be played on the slipstreams, almost like a mini F1 version of the Indianapolis 500. I tested the track on the simulator and the lap time is less than a minute, so managing the traffic will not be easy. In qualifying we will have to work as a team to give each other a slipstream. And the trail game will also influence the race, so it will be an interesting experience, something new for everyone. I think we're in for a spectacular race with lots of overtaking: it will be interesting if overtaking is almost too easy with the DRS", concluded Gasly.