That said, Pierre Gasly walked away from Qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix feeling like there was still more left on the table. The Frenchman delivered a strong session for Alpine to peak as high as P6 before ultimately settling for P7 on the grid, backed up by teammate Franco Colapinto making it a double Q3 appearance for the squad.
Gasly felt he could have extracted even more speed from the Alpine machine if not for yellow flags disrupting his final two runs. Unfortunately, drivers running off track ahead of him ruined those pushes, leaving him convinced that beating Lewis Hamilton was entirely possible. Still, a few weeks after his maiden pole in Italy, the overall picture is remarkably positive for a machine that finally feels predictable.
It's not been an easy session. I lacked a bit of pace, but then Q3 was not very well executed – I had this big lock-up and then I had really big vibrations for the last lap.
"Very good work this weekend in terms of car set-up and getting to a place where I can really be comfortable with the balance and commit everywhere. I'm very pleased," Gasly explained. He admitted that Ferrari likely holds more raw pace, yet he praised the machinery as the best he has ever felt around the Baku City Circuit. That baseline gives him absolute confidence to throw the car around and chase valuable points.
On the other side of the garage, Franco Colapinto secured P10 to mark Alpine's third double Q3 appearance of the 2026 season, though the Argentine was far less satisfied with his afternoon. A lock-up at Turn 15 during the final segment ruined his representative lap time, leaving him dealing with severe vibrations for the remainder of the session. He admitted to lacking pace and feeling uneasy in the heavy braking zones that dominate the circuit.
"I think generally there's still a lot to improve," Colapinto stated after the session. "It's not been an easy session. I lacked a bit of pace, but then Q3 was not very well executed – I had this big lock-up and then I had really big vibrations for the last lap."
Right now, Alpine is locked in a fierce battle against Racing Bulls to claim the title of 'best of the rest'. With their direct rivals Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad both starting outside of the top 10 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Alpine has a golden opportunity to chip away at the nine-point gap separating the two teams in the standings.
