Pierre Gasly struggles with sudden performance drop in Spanish GP qualifying

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly expressed frustration and confusion following a difficult qualifying session at the Spanish Grand Prix. Despite showing competitive pace during earlier practice sessions, Gasly was eliminated in Q2, ultimately qualifying in 14th position.

Gasly reported a sudden and inexplicable loss of grip and balance during the qualifying session. He noted that while he felt comfortable and confident in the car during practice, the vehicle became difficult to control during the timed laps, describing the experience as “a carnage” where he was constantly sliding and struggling with wheelspin.

The driver stated that the performance drop-off did not align with the team's previous data or the expected changes as fuel loads decreased. Gasly indicated that he and his engineers would need to investigate the technical cause of the sudden shift in car behavior to understand why the balance changed so drastically.