F1 News
Gasly and Briatore instantly on the same page: 'We share that ambition'
- Ludo van Denderen
With a wink, it can be said that the entrance of Flavio Briatore, Alpine's new advisor, certainly did not miss its impact. Indeed, on Saturday, Abbi Pulling - part of the Alpine Academy - managed to win the first F1 Academy race in Barcelona convincingly. A beaming Briatore was among the first to congratulate the British driver afterwards.
Much more importantly, the Italian will no doubt have found that earlier in the day Pierre Gasly (7th) and Esteban Ocon (8th) experienced fine qualifying performances for the Spanish Grand Prix. But Briatore wants more than a role in the sub-top for the team that is experiencing a difficult season so far, Gasly has been told by the former Renault and Benetton team boss.
Gasly and Briatore agree
On Friday, the driver and Briatore spoke, and immediately it became clear to Gasly what the 74-year-old adviser wanted. "I think it was very clear with his ambition, and I want to be at the top of the field, and that's what he wants as well. I think we align on the targets and the ambitions for the team," the Frenchman stated.
As Briatore walked around the Alpine pit box for the first time, the man who appointed him was also present. Gasly liked the fact that Luca de Meo, Renault's CEO, showed his face at a time when things are not going well for the F1 team. "Luca is motivated with the project, and I'm sure on a day like today he's happy to see the improvements," he said.
"We've got to keep going. [Qualifying] was, of course, good. Last year I qualified fourth here, this year it's seventh. It's still work to do but definitely it's positive to see some improvements compared to where we started last year," Gasly said.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy