Pierre Gasly enjoyed a productive Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the Frenchman finishing inside the top eight in both Free Practice sessions ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda driver was seventh fastest in the first session before ending eighth in the evening session, held in conditions that are likely to be more representative of what they will have in Qualifying and in the race, with his best lap 1:31.232s just 1.415 seconds off the pace set by Scuderia Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen at the front of the field.
Even though Gasly enjoyed his days running – he completed sixty-four laps across the two sessions – he knows there is still work to be done to improve, particularly as he expects other teams to raise their game on Saturday and Sunday.
“Today was a very productive Friday for us, it felt very comfortable in the car since the first lap in FP1,” said Gasly. “We showed some decent pace in both sessions with a seventh and eighth best time.
“It’s a good beginning but there are still things we can improve for tomorrow because it’s really tight between everyone, so I need to spend a lot of time tonight analysing everything we tested today.
“The first feeling with the car is really positive, so hopefully we can keep it and have a similar day tomorrow.”
