Pierre Gasly: I couldn't have gone any faster.

      Pierre Gasly achieved the best result for Alpine in Spielberg, qualifying 11th, ahead of his young teammate by almost a second…

      Pierre Gasly (11th): “We tried to achieve the best possible result, but I knew the competition would be tough. The first fast lap in the first session went well and allowed me to save a set of fresh tires for the second session, which gave us a good chance to make it to the final. The final attempt in the second session also felt good to me; I was confident it would allow me to advance, but it wasn’t enough.

      I couldn’t have gone any faster. This weekend, Racing Bulls have a slight advantage. If I could have qualified ahead of one of their cars, it would have been a nice bonus. But I am looking forward to the race with optimism. The main battle will be with Racing Bulls, and I hope to overtake one of their cars at the start.

      On Friday, we worked effectively with the tires; the wear was minimal, and on Sundays, we usually make a step forward. I hope we can earn points tomorrow.”

      Franco Colapinto (16th): “I expected more from qualifying, but in the second session, I couldn’t manage to set a really fast lap and show our full potential.

      During the day, the car became more manageable compared to the morning session, where I couldn’t find the right balance, but it still behaved unpredictably, and it’s hard to attack at full strength without that.

      On a short track where the gaps between drivers are minimal, you have to push to the limit; otherwise, you can end up three or four positions lower. That’s exactly what happened – on my last lap, I pushed, trying to enter the first corner at a higher speed, and the car suddenly lost grip. I went off track and interrupted my attempt.

      Typically, our car is more competitive in the race; I hope we can fight with those directly ahead.”