Pierre Gasly labels 2023 as his ‘most unfortunate’ F1 season

Pierre Gasly has secured points 22 points in the constructors’ championship trailing teammate Esteban Ocon by 13 points.

Pierre Gasly labels 2023 as his ‘most unfortunate’ F1 season

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly (Image credit: Autosport)

During the winter transition, the French driver transitioned from AlphaTauri to Alpine, stepping into the position left open by the departure of Fernando Alonso. This move was by the team’s plan to replace the outgoing Alonso and introduce Oscar Piastri as his scheduled replacement. Initially aiming for fourth, Alpine’s performance dropped, and it is now sixth in Constructors’. Aston Martin and McLaren’s development outpaced him.

Despite securing a podium at the Belgian GP, Pierre Gasly‘s satisfaction with this season’s performance is modest. Reflecting on the first half of the year, he described it as notably challenging for several reasons. He believed their misfortune in Formula 1 exceeded that of previous seasons.

YouTube video

Gasly emphasized missed opportunities leading to compounding effects on outcomes. He observed that these outcomes did not fully reveal their package’s potential while admitting their competitiveness fell short of initial goals.

FS Video

“I think it’s been quite tricky for many different reasons. I think, overall, we’ve been probably the most unlucky I’ve been in Formula 1 compared to all other seasons. There were a couple of missed opportunities, which had like a sort of snowball effect and a pretty big impact on the final results,” said Pierre Gasly to Autosport.

Also read: Gunther Steiner breaks silence on Otmar Szafnauer’s ‘unusual’ sacking by Alpine

Alpine’s performance struggles lead to a shift from initial goals

Pierre Gasly’s podium finish at the Belgian GP Sprint race (Image credit: DayFR Euro)

Although Alpine’s initial plan was to solidify its fourth-place standing from the previous year, its performance has been downturned. The collaborative Anglo-French outfit has slipped to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship standings. This decline can be attributed to being outpaced in terms of development by both Aston Martin and McLaren.

In the same interview, Pierre Gasly acknowledged that claiming they met expectations would be dishonest. He acknowledged the remaining half of the year and the upcoming developments. He admitted that these developments might not completely alter the season’s outcome, but he expressed optimism about showcasing improved performance in the latter part of the year.

“It would be a lie to say that we matched the expectations. But we still have half a year to go, and there’s still quite a lot of stuff in the pipeline in terms of developments.  “It’s not going to turn the full season around, but I’m definitely hopeful that we can show a better form in the second part of the year,” Gasly further continued.

In case you missed it: