Struggling AlphaTauri ‘not throwing in the towel’, warns Pierre Gasly

Pierre Gasly has said AlphaTauri are “not throwing in the towel” as the team get ready for the final third of the season.

Disappointment would be the most apt word to describe the AlphaTauri 2022 season so far. Having steadily improved year on year since their rebrand, peaking with a win for Gasly in Monza, the team have taken several steps back this term and are eighth in the Constructors’ Championship.

A reoccurring problem has been an inability to get the best out of the AT03 and even as the teams headed into the summer break, AlphaTauri still seemed ensure of how to maximise their car’s potential.

Upgrades were fitted at the French Grand Prix but four point-less finishes since then suggests work still needs to be done.

Gasly managed P12 last time out in Hungary and has said the team is not yet throwing in the towel on the 2022 season.

“The last few races before the break had been rather complicated for us, with no points scored and things did not go our way,” the Frenchman said.

“It was not what we wanted as a team. Since France, we’ve had some updates on the car, which we now understand a bit better. But it’s still complicated and the midfield teams are all very close.

“We’re not throwing in the towel, we are continuing to work hard and give our maximum to try and bring out more performance from the car as quickly as possible, so that we can chase points every weekend.”

Gasly spent his summer break in Greece and then France before heading back to work and the simulator. He is now heading toBelgium and one of his favourite tracks.

“Spa is one of my favourite tracks, I love it. We will be back on the starting block with three races in three weeks and after the break I am of course excited at the thought of getting back in the car and going racing again.

excited to kick off the second half of the@f1season gonna be pushing hard to bring those results!

— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1)August 24, 2022

“去年在Spa冲刷这year, we will have our first look at the changes they have made to the track, particularly at Eau Rouge-Raidillon.”

Gasly’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda has revealed he took a different approach to his summer break, admitting that he spent a lot of it training.

“In the first week, I went to a training facility in Austria, also talking to a sports psychologist and working with a physio,” he said. “In the middle week, I went away and just enjoyed myself and in the last week, I was back in Faenza training again, as well as doing some wakeboarding and other fun activities.

“So, I spent maybe 70% of the time training, but I know what works for me and I prefer not to reset completely in a break.”

AlphaTauri and Pierre Gasly have nine races to avoid their worst ever finish

Residing in P8, AlphaTauri are on course for their worst ever finish in the Constructors’ Championship and would represent their worst season since the time of Toro Rosso in 2018.

The rebrand to AlphaTauri coincided with a dramatic up tick in form. The car looked quick and results showed it with consistent points finishes throughout their first two seasons.

But 2022 has represented a major stumbling block for AlphaTauri. They are currently on 27 points which is 80 fewer than they ended the 2020 campaign and 115 fewer than they finished 2021 with.

There is a maximum of 411 points left for a team to achieve this season and while AlphaTauri will not come anyway close to that figure, it does show that Gasly is right and this season is still salvageable.

复苏道路上的第一步就是证明they finally have a good handle on their car. It has been five races since either driver has finished within the points and they have yet to have a double points score during a race.

For the team to move up the standings that needs to change and the fact that Haas are only seven points away gives them a target to aim for.

On a personal note for Gasly, he needs to prove what he can do in a car especially ashe enters the final year of his contract.