"We have not reached 100% yet" - Pierre Gasly 'pleased' with his Bahrain GP performance 

Pierre Gasly is pleased with his points-scoring finish in Bahrain, but claims the team has not reached '100% yet'. The Frenchman finished the race in P9 despite having started 20th on the grid, impressing fans with his performance.

Gasly had a superb debut for Alpine after charging through the field in Sakhir during Bahrain's season opener. The former AlphaTauri driver replaced two-time world champion Fernando Alonso in the French team, pairing up with long-time rival Esteban Ocon.

The 27-year-old went home with two points under his belt despite having started at the back of the grid but is still partially disappointed with his performance. The Frenchman claims that he and the team are yet to show their full potential and will be looking to do so in the near future.

Pierre Gasly told Formula1.com:

"On the whole, I was pretty pleased [in Bahrain], especially on Sunday to go from last to ninth and take home some points. I know there’s so much more to come from myself and from the team as we have not reached 100% yet."

His teammate Esteban Ocon, on the other hand, picked up a series of penalties over the course of the race before eventually retiring from it altogether.

Pierre Gasly shares his thoughts on starting 20th on the grid

Starting the first race of his Alpine career at the back of the grid was far from ideal for Pierre Gasly. The French driver had a mishap during his qualifying lap on Saturday, causing his elimination in Q1. However, he was fortunate that his impressive driving skills enabled him to gain points for his team in Bahrain.

During an interview with F1TV, Pierre Gasly shared his thoughts on the race and confessed that he anticipated an eventful one. He further stated that he was pleased to remain composed and navigate his way through the field.

He said:

“I knew starting from the Bahrain city centre, it would be quite an eventful race so I had to stay calm. I knew we had race pace, yesterday [qualifying] it didn’t come together so I had to make up for it today. I was so mad last night. All morning I was so focused, I had these points as my target. The team did a great start, race pace was good, and it was important for the first race with Alpine to get these points.”

It will be interesting to follow Pierre Gasly's battle with teammate Esteban Ocon over the course of the season to see which of the two Frenchmen comes out on top.