– Pierre Gasly has a special connection to the royal park of Monza: The Frenchman celebrated his first and to this day only Formula 1 victory there in the 2020 season with AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls). And this year, the Alpine driver also grabbed his first pole position there.
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Will he now also manage his second Grand Prix win at the same place? “Well, under normal circumstances, no,” says Sky expert Ralf Schumacher confidently and immediately provides the reason: “I believe he can’t maintain the pace over the distance because his tires will simply wear out faster.”
“But we will see. It’s Monza, nothing is impossible.” As a reminder: Sebastian Vettel also took his first Grand Prix win in the rain at Monza in the 2008 season, back then still with Toro Rosso. “But it will be hot tomorrow, unfortunately no rain. Luckily for us, anyway,” says Schumacher.
The Alpine driver’s pole position is still a surprise for the six-time Grand Prix winner overall. “It shows, Monza has its own rules,” the Sky expert refers to the peculiarities of the high-speed track in Italy, where especially cars with low air resistance have the advantage.
“We remember: Even cars that are efficient can be strong here. We didn’t even have them on the radar, to be honest. And great what he did.” Nevertheless, the former Formula 1 driver renews his prediction clearly whether Gasly will win the race on Sunday: “No, he won’t.”
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Pierre Gasly believes in a second Formula 1 win
Gasly himself understandably sees it differently. “Why not?” asks the Frenchman in an interview with Sky UK. “Yes, I know. The odds are not good for me. But we are not here because of the odds. We are here to give our best.”
“And I can assure you that I will give everything tonight. I am perfectly prepared for tomorrow,” the Alpine driver is convinced, especially with regard to his debut success six years ago: “The good thing is that I know what it is like to have no one in front of me on this track.”
“So if there is any chance at all to start from pole position, I am glad it is here,” says Gasly, who is fighting for a small redemption after his lost Monaco podium. “You can be sure that I will give my best.”
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