The upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be the last race for Pierre Gasly with AlphaTauri. Next season the Frenchman will drive for Alpine, but for now he and his partner Yuki Tsunoda are preparing for the stage on the Yas Marina circuit.
Peter Gasley: “The race weekend in Brazil turned out to be another one where the race was not in our favour. I attacked with all my might, so I’m disappointed I didn’t score any points. Ahead of the last stage of the season, which is very important because for us it is the last chance to finish eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.
An emotional weekend awaits me – my last with AlphaTauri after five years together. Our relationship with the team has long since outgrown working. I personally know all the engineers, mechanics, employees on the base. We spent time together, even outside of work. The last joint race is just around the corner – I don’t think there will be many riders who have played for one team for five years.
I have a lot of nice memories together, so this weekend I will do my best and I hope we can get a good result. I also want to enjoy the whole weekend and think back to all the great moments we have had with the team over the past five years.
As for the race, last year I finished fifth. Now I don’t have such high expectations because it’s hard to predict our competitive position. This season it is more difficult for us to fight for points, but they remain our target. I want to end my partnership with AlphaTauri with another top ten finish.”
Yuki Tsunoda: “The weekend in São Paulo was difficult from day one because my car had no grip. We completely changed the settings before the race, which helped, although I had to start from the pit lane. However, I cannot say that I was completely satisfied with the car. I hope we find a solution and the car will perform better in the last race of the season.
Last year I spent a fantastic weekend in Abu Dhabi, so I have fond memories of finishing the season at this track. It was great to finish the debut year with an eighth fastest time in qualifying and a fourth place for Pierre. I showed what I can do and that gave confidence to the whole team.
It will be great to repeat the result this year, but I don’t expect much because last year’s car was better than the current one. However, I will work the same way as always – let’s see what result this will lead to.
Yas Marina is a difficult circuit and tire wear in the third sector can be an issue, so choosing the right settings is important. The special thing about the route is that there are no ideal settings for all three sectors at the same time.
I will be sad because Pierre is leaving the team. He was a great teammate on and off the track. We became friends and have a great professional relationship. I learned a lot from him in every race, especially last year. Without Pierre I would not have made such progress.
A huge thank you to Pierre and I hope we enjoy our last weekend together.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
