Pierre Gasly is optimistic that AlphaTauri will get a better understanding of the updates they introduced to the AT03 last time out at Imola, provided the Miami Grand Prix weekend proves straightforward. The Italian team brought some updates, including a new floor and front brake ducts, to their car for their home race weekend. However, due to mixed weather conditions and the addition of the Sprint limiting practice time, there was very little chance to fettle in the updates and evaluate their true effectiveness. With this weekend's Miami Grand Prix reverting to the usual weekend format, Gasly is aiming to get some proper on-track testing completed. "We had some updates, but it was hard to assess them because of the conditions on track," Gasly said in AlphaTauri's Miami preview. "So I'm looking forward to going to Miami to have a normal weekend with three free practice sessions, which will allow us to really do some testing and draw some conclusions." While Gasly only managed 12th on race day at Imola, Yuki Tsunoda came home in seventh to score six points. This result shows the car's potential is strong, according to Gasly. "On the plus side, it was clear the car was working well, as Yuki demonstrated with a good result," he explained. "There is clearly some potential in the car, and we can expect to have some nice races. But that won’t happen unless we have a clean weekend, qualifying well and starting as near to the front of the grid as possible."
What went wrong for Gasly at Imola?
Reflecting on his point-less Imola weekend, Gasly said that getting caught in a DRS train had ruined any possibility of a stronger result. "Looking back at Imola, Friday practice went okay, but then we didn't do a very good job of managing the tyres on the drying track in qualifying, so we ended up near the back," he commented. "From then on, we were on the back foot and then there was the collision in the Sprint that meant starting at the back again on Sunday. "In the race, I was in a DRS train with Lewis [Hamilton] behind me and a Williams in front, so it was a bit annoying." With Gasly's starting position for the Grand Prix determined by a collision with Zhou Guanyu in the Sprint, the French driver is hopeful of rectifying his misfortune this weekend in Miami. "I have to admit I've never had much luck in the Sprint races, and I've often been involved in some unlucky situations," he said. "We couldn't overtake and that was it. And then it also depends on the type of track and, although it will be important to qualify well in Miami, I think it should be possible to overtake there. "But there are some races like Imola coming up, in Spain and Monaco, where qualifying has far greater importance and having a good Saturday is the key."
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