Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen wants Pierre Gasly to fight for victory after a sensational pole position for the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.
Gasly stormed to a shock pole position, denying George Russell by just 0.068s, at Monza during the top-10 shootout.
Sunday will see the Frenchman start from the first-row of the grid for only the second time in his F1 career, and from pole for the first time ever.
The A526 has not been the most competitive of packages in the recent races, but the team’s Zandvoort upgrades seem to have finally come alive at the Temple of Speed.
Gasly stood on the top step of the podium, for his only F1 win, at Monza five years ago, then driving for AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) and Nielsen wants him to repeat this feat for the Enstone-based team, on Sunday.
“We didn’t expect to be on pole position, but we are,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Tomorrow, good starts, good strategy, good pit stops, who knows? Let’s try and win it.”
Pierre Gasly sidestepped F1 annoyance to bounce back for Alpine at Monza
The Italian GP weekend has been a rollercoaster of emotions for the Anglo-French marque and Gasly.
On Friday, the FIA International Court of Appeal ruled in favour of McLaren and Red Bull, stripping Gasly of his Monaco GP podium.
Nielsen said this decision would always “annoy” him but praised Gasly for bouncing back by making the strongest statement possible.
“If you’d asked me this two or three days ago, we were all on the floor,” he added.
“So it’s really from sort of being really down to being on top of the world in just what, two days? And it’s amazing. We need to soak it up and make the best of it.
“It’s a long time in politics and F1. When you think about what the mood was in the camp when we got the result from Monaco, which honestly is going to annoy me for the rest of my life, it’s a nice way to bounce back with pole position.”
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is wary of the threat its customer outfit poses in the hands of Gasly.
The A526 seems to have a low drag profile at least over a single lap. If Gasly can keep his nose ahead at the start, a second F1 win might just be possible.
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