Pierre Gasly: Maximum concentration is needed in Baku.

      Alpine’s drivers didn’t surprise with their results on Friday, but hope to improve on Saturday…

      Pierre Gasly (16th): “This is one of those tracks where you need maximum concentration from the very first lap. Only by being patient and gradually building up speed and confidence, especially in the opening laps when the track is not yet in the best condition, can you achieve the desired result. But attacking in Baku at high speed gives you the greatest pleasure.

      From the very beginning we knew the track doesn’t suit our car. We know what needs work and are trying to optimise what we have. On Friday we tried setups with different levels of downforce to understand which direction to go next. In the third practice we’ll try to step up so we’re in better shape for qualifying.”

      Franco Colapinto (20th): “It’s nice to be back at a track where I had success last year. In Baku, as on other street circuits, you feel intense sensations behind the wheel. Here you need to gradually increase speed and not take too many risks on a Friday.

      We did several clean laps and gathered enough information which we’ll analyse tonight to prepare for qualifying. Red and yellow flags prevented us from completing the full programme, so there’s more work to do tomorrow to get more out of the car. We saw some interesting differences in tyre choice for the quick lap among different drivers, so we’ll see how it all plays out tomorrow.”