Two consecutive Sprints
It’s time for the Formula 1 drivers to get back on track, as this weekend they will battle on the ‘Gilles Villeneuve’ circuit for the Canadian Grand Prix. An event that, like the last Miami GP, also includes the Sprint race. In the last one held in the United States, Pierre Gasly had secured the eighth and last points-paying position, only to end Sunday’s race with a bad crash following contact with Liam Lawson.
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The problems in Miami
Fortunately, the Frenchman from Alpine was unharmed in the incident, and now he is preparing for the fifth GP of the season not only to make up for it but also to test the work done at Enstone aimed at improving the car’s feel: “I definitely feel ready to get back on track and race again this weekend – he said – obviously, it was a disappointing end to my weekend in Miami, that’s not how anyone wants to finish a Grand Prix, and, luckily, I’m fine, thanks to Formula 1 safety. I’ve had a couple of intense weeks, including driving on a couple of former French Grand Prix circuits, which is always very special for several reasons. I drove the 1979 Renault F1, the RS10, at the Paul Ricard circuit during the Historic Grand Prix, a fantastic and very exciting event. The car won the 1979 French Grand Prix with Jean-Pierre Jabouille, and it was great to have his son Victor there watching me as I took part in a series of demonstration laps. Then, I was at Magny-Cours for two days of Pirelli wet tire testing. Two fantastic circuits, two very different cars, and it’s simply nice to be able to drive again in France, which is quite rare for me these days. Now we head to Montreal, a French-speaking city, for another Sprint weekend. I didn’t feel completely comfortable in the car in Miami, so we spent some time trying to understand why. I think we found some answers, some directions to follow in Canada, and the goal is to keep the momentum as a team and score as many points as possible between the Sprint and the Grand Prix. I’m ready and looking forward to getting back.”
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Hunting for more points
Who definitely wants to replicate what was done in Miami is Franco Colapinto. Tenth in the Sprint race (a position not included in the points zone), the Argentine climbed up the standings in the US GP, reaching 7th place and achieving his second top 10 in this early part of the championship: “I’m happy to be back racing in Canada, especially for another Sprint weekend. I really want to build on the great weekend in Miami, with our top 10 placements in both qualifying sessions and my best ever result in Formula 1. It’s been a year since my first race with the team and Miami shows that we are on the right track and that we started the season solidly. I was able to spend some time at Enstone in the last two weeks and we reviewed the great result, as well as focused on this weekend’s Montreal race with important simulator work. The circuit is very fun, finally a track I have already raced on, with long high-speed straights but also tight corners and chicanes where we can get very close to the walls. It’s a great source of adrenaline! This will be our third Sprint event of the year and, as always, time spent in the car is the most important thing. We will all work hard to maintain the positive momentum we have in the team and aim for another positive weekend.”
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