Pierre Gasly says Fernando Alonso overtaking him during 2022 Brazilian GP is 'obviously good news' for him

Pierre Gasly has said that watching Fernando Alonso overtake him during the 2022 Brazilian GP is 'good news' for him, as he's moving there next season.

AlphaTauri have not been competitive this season, and despite efforts from both Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda, the results have been few and far between. Talking to the F1 Nation podcast, Gasly talked about how that can get very frustrating at times. He said:

“It’s tough, obviously quite frustrating because we try really hard to get these few points to pass Haas (in the Constructors’ Championship). I think overall we actually did a good weekend. We managed to finish P10 in the sprint and had a good start (in the race)."

Gasly added:

"Good stints on the soft, but looking at the pace overall, we’re just not competitive enough to make it to the top 10. And guys ahead of us are faster. And yeah, we try. We keep trying, but it’s just not enough.”

He continued:

“I’m all focused on 2022. I’m not going to lie: I’m not even thinking about next year. And that’s why I also take it personally, and that’s why I also get so disappointed. I’m really trying my best and inside the car, every single lap, and like sometimes we have hopes, you know, like after the start, I think we’re running P8 or P8 and kind of hope, ‘okay, might be an opportunity’."

Gasly did, however, admit that he was happy to see Alonso overtake him easily in an Alpine, the team he's moving to next season. He said:

“As the race goes on, then we realise Alpine even with Alonso starting from God knows where … from center of Sao Paulo, is overtaking us after 20 laps, which is obviously good news for me. I’m happy to see them performing like that. But then yeah, Valtteri (Bottas) definitely faster than us and the Aston as well. So yeah, we try, but doesn’t really pay off.”

AlphaTauri (35) trail eighth-placed Haas by two points with one race to go.

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It's going to be a very emotional weekend - Pierre Gasly

Previewing the season-ending race in Abu Dhabi this weekend, Pierre Gasly said that it's going to be very emotional for him, as he's been part of AlphaTauri for almost the entirety of his career. He said:

"It's going to be a very emotional weekend of course. My last one with the team after five years spent together. It means our relationship has been much more than just a working partnership. I know all the engineers and mechanics and the people in the factory personally, having spent time together even in our private lives."

He continued:

"It's the last race of a long history, as I don't think many drivers have spent five years with a team. There have been so many really great moments that we have shared together and what's certain, is that whatever happens this weekend I will be trying my very best in the hope we can end with a good race and a nice result. But apart from that, I just want to enjoy the weekend as a whole and to think of all the great times we spent together over the past few years.

Gasly will move to Alpine next season to partner with Esteban Ocon.