Esteban finishes seventh, Pierre twelfth in physically challenging Qatar Airways Qatar Grand Prix

It was a physically taxing 57-lap Grand Prix under the lights in Qatar with three pit-stops for both drivers during the race.

Esteban made a strong start, moving up to fifth place, with Pierre maintaining seventh. Both drivers later settled into a rhythm with double points the target with varying pit-stop strategies up and down the grid.

Esteban settled for seventh with a comfortable run to the line while Pierre was on the receiving end of three separate penalties for track limit infringements in the midst of fighting for the top ten. In the end, he finished in twelfth place.

Race

Esteban started on Used Mediums (L10 pit-stop for Used Mediums, L25 pit-stop for New Hards, L43 for New Mediums). Fastest Lap: 1:26.450

Pierre started on Used Mediums (L11 pit-stop for Used Mediums, L26 for New Hards, L44 for New Mediums). Fastest Lap: 1:26.310

Esteban Ocon, started P8, finished P7: What a tough and physically difficult race for all of us! In the end, it was a great result for us in seventh place and six points in the bag. We had a great start to move up to fifth and credit to the team too for a well-executed strategy and pit stops. The conditions were extremely tough in the car and I did not feel well physically in the first half of the race. I was able to pull it together and focus on what I needed to do. We had a couple of good overtakes along the way and we brought home six valuable points for the team. Now it’s time for rest and recovery and then prepare for a demanding triple-header in the Americas and we’ll look to carry this momentum into Austin.

Pierre Gasly, started P7, finished P12: There was potential to score points today so, of course, I am disappointed in how the race played out. It was not a good day, it’s a matter of centimetres on track limits - that is on me, though - and today I paid a big price for it. It’s frustrating as we definitely had the pace to score solid points for the team. We had a small energy management issue to manage during the race, which cost me some pace. I probably tried to take too many risks and overcompensate for that and pushed too close to the limit. I’ll learn from it and move on. It’s been a fairly positive weekend for the team, we have lots to learn and now we look forward to an intense triple header coming up, starting in Austin.

Bruno Famin, Interim Team Principal: We leave Qatar with more points on the board after Esteban’s seventh place finish; a very smart, clinical and well measured drive in challenging conditions. Pierre too had a strong race – it looked promising for a good double team result - but unfortunately his efforts went without reward due to penalties for track limits. We have lots to learn going forwards but, in summary, it’s been a positive weekend for the team across all three days. We will continue our hard work back at the factories, take as many learnings as we can and look to convert those into a good team result in the Austin Sprint weekend.