17-11-2024
The São Paulo Grand Prix was particularly sweet for Pierre Gasly, as he celebrated his 150th start in Formula 1 with a milestone achievement: his second podium for the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. Sharing this moment with his old friend and team-mate Esteban Ocon made it a day he’ll treasure forever.
The 28-year-old secured his fifth F1 podium finish, and for the second time, he stood on the podium in Brazil, echoing his strong performance here in 2019. Throughout the weekend, Pierre looked in top form. After 27 laps in FP1 he posted the tenth-fastest time, and later on Friday, advanced to Q3 in Sprint Qualifying, securing seventh on the grid. In Saturday’s 24-lap Sprint Race, he crossed the finish line in seventh, earning two valuable points for the Alpine team despite battling higher-than-expected tyre degradation.
With Saturday’s Qualifying cancelled due to rain, it was an early morning alarm call on Sunday. However, Pierre’s session was unfortunately hampered by the multiple red-flag stoppages, which limited his chances to set a clean lap. Unable to post a representative time, he was forced to start the Grand Prix from 13th on the grid.
Despite this setback, Pierre made a brilliant start, climbing four places by the end of the first racing lap. By the time the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, he had skilfully advanced to sixth place. Like Esteban, he managed to keep his A524 on track despite running on worn intermediates in treacherous conditions and had risen to third place under the red flag. His ten-place climb from his starting spot culminated in a podium, crossing the line just three seconds behind ‘Oconzinho.’
“It’s incredible — two cars on the podium! This result means so much for the whole team. In these conditions, anything was possible, and we believed right until the end,” said Pierre. “We’ve all tried to push the team forward, to never give up, and today it paid off. That’s what I love about Formula 1. It’s truly a historic day and I’m very proud of everyone who contributed to making this performance happen.”
Standing on the Interlagos rostrum with Esteban, the duo made history as the first French team-mates to share a podium racing for a French manufacturer since Alain Prost and René Arnoux were 1-2 for Renault at the 1982 French Grand Prix.
“Esteban and I have been through so much together. I remember us in the winter, when it was minus five degrees, the only ones at the go-kart track, racing in the rain and snow on slick tyres. All those days of practice prepared us for a race like today,” Pierre reflected. “Those memories — freezing, warming up in the truck between runs — all came back to me. In our two years racing together for Alpine, I think we can both be proud of how we’ve pushed the team forward.”
Alpine’s weekend total of 35 points from Brazil has propelled the team from ninth to sixth in the FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship.