Despite losing out on victory in the GP3 Series Sprint race at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on Sunday, Giuliano Alesi was pleased with the outcome of the race, which saw him fighting and battling hard against Trident team-mate Pedro Piquet.
After finishing sixth in Saturday’s first race of the weekend in Italy, Alesi started third on Sunday and was quickly up to second ahead of polesitter Richard Verschoor and found himself embroiled in a too and fro battle with his team-mate for the lead, only to be denied on the penultimate lap when the Brazilian found his way through.
Alesi had the use of this Drag Reduction System on the final lap as he attempted to reclaim the position, but the Ferrari Driver Academy racer was struggling with his tyres and ultimately was forced to settle for the runners-up spot.
“To be honest it was a good race,” said Alesi in the post-race press conference. “I think I fight quite well and so did Pedro. There was a lot of respect between us I think.
“I finished second. I still think it is a pretty good result especially for the team in Monza. It’s such a good result. I’m happy with that. I’ll focus on the rest for the next race.
“Towards the end I was struggling with the tyres because I wanted to push straight away. I was struggling a lot with the tyres so even if I had been next to him he would have been able to brake slightly later so… that’s it! Next time…
“I’m not disappointed at all. I’m pretty happy.”
Alesi and the rest of the field now have a four-week break before the next round, which takes place at the Sochi Autodrom in Russia, with the venue a new one for everyone.
“First of all, I am going to the sim and look at the data from the previous years,” said Alesi. “And then there is nothing I can do more than what the others will do to get read.
“All I have to do is push!”
