The biggest change in the Formula 1 technical regulations in recent years has caused a change in the names of the drivers who occupy the top positions, despite this, Pierre Gasly is disappointed that Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes , usually the best teams, have distanced themselves even further from the middle zone.
The Frenchman was one of the big surprises last season, getting into the top teams time and time again, especially in qualifying. In 16 of 22 races, Gasly has started from the first three rows of the grid, but in 2022 he still doesn’t know what that is.
The AlphaTauri driver admits he expected the grid to get closer. According to him, that worked between the middle zone and the rear, but the three teams that are in the lead are “in a different league”.
Last year, Gasly was able to beat Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes in qualifying from time to time: “The top 3 were definitely faster than the rest, but they weren’t in another league, so sometimes you could get in front of them But this year? There’s no chance!”
For the #10, the gaps are currently too big: “Only Valtteri Bottas can sometimes challenge them, while basically we are fighting at most for seventh position. And that’s sad because the goal was for us to be closer,” said the Frenchman. .
Analyzing the numbers, beyond Ferrari and Red Bull , only two drivers have managed to start from the first two rows this year. Lando Norris at the wheel of his McLaren was fourth in Melbourne, after Carlos Sainz was unable to complete his qualifying lap due to a red flag, and Mercedes driver George Russell, who was also fourth in Barcelona, narrowly beating Sergio Perez.
“If you drive a Ferrari or a Red Bull, you can make a serious mistake in a corner and still finish in the top six. But if we make a mistake, you go to the back of the grid,” the AlphaTauri driver concluded.
