Pierre Gasly is eager to see what the benefits of the BWT Alpine F1 Team’s latest updates work on their A523 during the British Grand Prix weekend as he bids to secure a seventh top ten finish of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.
The Frenchman finished on the road in ninth last weekend at the Red Bull Ring but was one of the drivers handed a time penalty for exceeding track limits post-race, which relegated him to tenth behind Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team’s Lance Stroll.
The race this weekend at Silverstone is the home event for the team and Gasly says that gives everyone extra motivation to perform, and having back-to-back events also gives him an immediate opportunity to secure another good result.
“What I like about to back-to-back races is the fact there is an immediate opportunity to race again and prove a point,” said Gasly. “It’s the Enstone team’s home race and that adds additional motivation to race for the staff members who will no doubt be at the race weekend in big numbers in the grandstands!
“Silverstone is one of the most famous and historic circuits in racing. It’s an exciting track, high-speed with some good overtaking chances especially into Turn 3, Turn 6 (Brooklands), Turn 9 (Copse), Turn 15 (Stowe) and Turn 16 (Vale).
“Silverstone is where I drove the A523 for the first time in February ahead of my Alpine debut, which was an important moment in my career as I started a new chapter in Formula 1 with the team.
“We have an upgrade for this race – the first of a couple coming up – so I look forward to seeing the benefit it brings to the car. The aim is to have a smooth weekend with big points in the bag come Sunday. I’m feeling ready, let’s go!”
“We hope to improve our performance this weekend” – Esteban Ocon
Team-mate Esteban Ocon failed to score last weekend and was also handed a remarkable thirty-seconds worth of penalties post-race for multiple track limit offences, but he is eager to return to the top ten at Silverstone.
Like Gasly, Ocon is interested to see what the updates the team are bringing to the track will help them move forward, particularly with the resurgence of the McLaren F1 Team putting them under pressure as they battle over fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
“Silverstone is such an iconic track with a nice flow and an exciting mixture of high, medium, and slow speed corners,” said Ocon. “The famous Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel combination is very fast and cool to drive, especially in these high-downforce cars.
“More generally, the circuit is known for its high-speed corners and regular short straights, and the exposed track at Silverstone also means that the wind can have an important, and often unpredictable, effect on all the cars.
“This weekend, we will have an upgrade on the car, so we hope to improve our performance this weekend following a difficult weekend in Austria.
“We hope to have a good race in front of the all the passionate British fans, but also in front of many of my UK-based colleagues, given our factory in Enstone is not far away. It will feel a bit like a home race in a way and I’m really looking forward to racing this weekend.”
