Gasly: 'There was even more in it' after Alpine land double Q3 in Baku qualifying
Pierre Gasly believes there was "even more" left in Alpine's car after a strongly encouraging Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Frenchman peaking as high as P6 on the streets of Baku before settling for P7 — and team-mate Franco Colapinto joining him in the final segment of qualifying.
Just weeks on from Gasly's magnificent maiden pole position at the Italian Grand Prix, Alpine once again looked like genuine points contenders, with both cars progressing to Q3 for the third time in the 2026 season. The Frenchman, though, was left to rue a pair of compromised final runs as yellow flags disrupted his flying laps.
Gasly: "There was even more in it"
Gasly was in upbeat mood as he reflected on a weekend in which he felt more at home around the Baku City Circuit than ever before, crediting meticulous work on the car's set-up.
"Very good work this weekend in terms of car set-up and getting to a place where I can really be comfortable with the balance and commit everywhere. I'm very pleased," said Gasly.
"Strong Qualifying – honestly, our last two runs were both compromised with people going off, so I think there was even more in it. I think getting ahead of Lewis Hamilton was possible. We don't control it, we were just unlucky that people kept going off in front of us. Overall, bigger picture, I'm just happy with the car we have. It's a good baseline that also gives me good confidence for tomorrow and the coming races."
While the Frenchman conceded that Ferrari "probably have more pace", he insisted this was the best he had ever felt in an Alpine around the Azerbaijani capital.
"It's probably the time I've felt best in Baku in terms of car balance," he explained. "It's always tricky with tyres etc., but at least I was really able to throw the car around and play with it. We're starting in a good place for some good points."
A golden chance to close the gap on Racing Bulls
The timing of Alpine's upturn could hardly be better. The team are embroiled in an ongoing fight with Racing Bulls to be crowned 'best of the rest' in the constructors' battle, and with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad both set to start outside the top 10 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, this weekend represents a fantastic opportunity for Alpine to eat into the nine-point gap between the two teams.
Colapinto frustrated after Turn 15 lock-up
While Gasly was smiling, Colapinto was understandably less satisfied despite playing his part in Alpine's third double Q3 appearance of the campaign. The Argentine squeezed through to the final segment but locked up at Turn 15 and failed to set a representative lap time, ultimately settling for P10 on the grid.
"I think generally there's still a lot to improve," Colapinto explained. "It's not been an easy session. I lacked a bit of pace, but then Q3 was not very well executed – I had this big lock-up and then I had really big vibrations for the last lap."
"We're still doing the steps, we're improving. I just lacked a bit in that Q3 to have a better result, but I will try to fight tomorrow and go forward. It's good to have both cars in Q3."
The Argentine admitted he is still searching for comfort in the heavy braking zones that define the Baku street circuit: "I'm not very comfortable in the hard braking zones, and here it's full of those. It doesn't feel so easy at the minute but we'll try to work for tomorrow."
What next
With cars starting P7 and P10, Alpine have both drivers well placed to score points in Sunday's race — and with Gasly declaring himself full of "good confidence" in the car's baseline, the team head into the Grand Prix believing they can strike a significant blow in their battle with Racing Bulls.