French F1 driver Pierre Gasly said he feels “in a much better place” at Alpine after their first season together.
Gasly joined the team last year, and finished the season 11th with a total of 62 points, just ahead of teammate Esteban Ocon.
However, and despite having a generally good performance throughout 2023, the French national said on Wednesday that he feels “in a much better place” coming into his second season with Alpine.
“Last year, coming into a new team, it’s a much bigger task that what it seems like from the outside,” he explained to the media after the team launch event.
“You’ve got to understand the dynamic of the team and the organizations and processes, the way of working, the way of communicating.
“Everything just drains you slightly more, it takes a bit more energy out of you. You’ve got to double-check everything.”
Gasly was racing for Alpha Tauri before making a move to Alpine – his first team outside of the Red Bull brands.
He added that after having a year to adapt he’s “in a much better place.”
“I don’t need to worry and [can] really focus on myself as an athlete, as a driver, really being fully focused on the physical side of things, working with the guys and figuring out this long season. I’m feeling really in good shape and in a great place for the team.
“We definitely made a step in the second part of the year, just from the way we’re working, understanding the technical stuff.
“That’s why I say I’m in a much better place now because that time last year the team had no clue about what I needed in terms of driving style, processes, communication… I really felt like we made a big step forward on that side of things.
“I’m looking forward and feeling much more confident in this second year with the team.”
To conclude, Gasly reflected on the new A524 machine, which he called a “completely different concept” to last year’s car.
“They kind of get an idea of what car behavior we want, but when you start from scratch like that, there’s so much unknown.
“I think it will basically come into play once we test the car in Bahrain and tell them what we need, what are the weaknesses and strengths of that car and what they’ve got to work on.”