GP Dutch - Debriefing

The Dutch Grand Prix is unique in that no Formula 1 race has been held here since 1985. As a result, none of the 10 teams has any data from previous years on which to base their car set-up.

All the drivers were discovering the track for the first time and only had the 2 Friday sessions to learn it and set up their cars.

As expected, Pierre's car showed that it could be improved and a lot of tests were carried out to optimise the aerodynamics for this circuit. Pierre finished 10th in these tests.

The following morning, for Free Practice 3 (FP3), the car's potential was clearly there. Pierre made full use of it, even setting the best theoretical time on the first set of tyres, and ended the session in 10th place.

A few additional adjustments were made in the afternoon to stabilise the car a little.

Pierre impressed from Q1 with a lap that placed him 3rd. This meant he didn't have to go out on track again and saved a set of tyres for the rest of qualifying.

Q2 was easily passed - which is becoming a habit, but a performance nonetheless.

In Q3, Pierre set two impressive fastest laps, which finally put him 4th on the grid, just behind Max Verstappen and the 2 Mercedes, ahead of the Ferraris, McLarens and Aston Martins.

Pierre: "I'm very happy with 4th place in qualifying today, because it took a lot of work from the team to get here. The car's pace and balance weren't ideal yesterday in practice. We managed to put in some perfect laps when it counted and it's good to be able to say that we'll be starting from the 2nd row tomorrow. We knew how important qualifying was on this track because it's going to be very complicated to overtake tomorrow. We did a good job today. The team gave me a great car, and starting from such a good position, I'm going to work hard to bring home a good result.

On Sunday, in front of a white-hot crowd the likes of which have rarely been seen at a Grand Prix, Pierre got off to a perfect start, held off Charles Leclerc's assaults in the early stages and then went on to open up a comfortable gap which was masterfully maintained right through to the finish, despite a different tyre strategy. Pierre finished 4th, 'Best of the Rest' i.e. the best driver apart from those driving redBulls or Mercedes. A victory in itself.

Pierre: "4th place is an incredible result for us today. I don't think we could have hoped for anything better and it's 12 precious points for us here in Zandvoort. I really enjoyed these 72 laps in Zandvoort. The circuit is fantastic. I really enjoyed myself today. The car was incredible, it was exactly what I wanted and the set-up choices were the right ones. The team did a great job all weekend and we were super quick.

I'm now really excited to be returning to Monza. After last year, expectations are obviously very high. We clearly maximised our package this weekend and it will be interesting to see how we perform next weekend in Italy, for the team's home race.