14/11/2021
NEWS STORY
Pierre Gasly: "I'm really happy, it's been a very intense race, but I think we can be pleased with today. There were some really nice battles, with Daniel and Seb, then at the end of the race with the Alpines. It was so fun to be racing with them, as we don't often get to do that in F1. It was of course hard, but today we finished in the best position we could, behind the top three teams, and that's the most important thing, as we continue our fight for fifth."
Yuki Tsunoda: "I'm pretty frustrated after today. I think we made a good choice with the tyres but unfortunately the collision with Stroll completely ruined my race. It was a risky move, but he just wasn't looking in his mirrors and we came together. It's a real shame I received the penalty, as I also struggled with damage for the rest of the race, but these things happen and we'll work to come back stronger next time out."
Guillaume Dezoteux (Head of Vehicle Performance): "We can be happy with the result today. We started Pierre on the Mediums and after the safety car periods, he was able to gain position on Vettel, then follow the train ahead. The tyre degradation was significant on this hot track, so the two-stop race was the fastest option for us at the time. After his first pitstop, Pierre drove a solid second stint, opening the gap to Ricciardo and Ocon, but we could also see that Alonso was quite fast too, trying to make the one-stop work. After our second pitstop, the target was clear, we had to pass both Alpines on track with our fresher tyres. The battle was really intense and, with Alonso giving the DRS to Ocon, we couldn't get close enough for overtaking both before T1 and T4, which are the only places where it is possible. The fight lasted six laps, but Pierre made superb moves on both and secured 7th place. Regarding Yuki's race, it was compromised very early on, as he had an incident with Stroll. He sustained significant damage and this affected a lot of his race pace, which is unfortunate. After 19 races, we are still on the same points as Alpine, which makes this end of season extremely exciting for all of us and our fans. The fight is on, we will make it!"
Check out our Sunday gallery from Interlagos, here.