Alpine gets both cars into Q3 and an opportunity against Racing Bulls

Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto put both Alpines into Q3 for the third time this season. Gasly finished seventh in qualifying and attributes his confidence to setup work that is helping him make better use of the car’s balance. His final two attempts were disrupted by cars going off ahead of him; he believes a position ahead of Hamilton was possible.

Colapinto had a more difficult final phase. A heavy lock-up at Turn 15 caused vibrations and compromised his next attempt. He also admits he is still not fully comfortable under heavy braking. The double Q3 appearance is therefore positive without concealing each driver’s individual difficulties.

The stakes extend beyond Baku: Alpine trails Racing Bulls by nine points, and neither Racing Bulls car reached Q3. With both cars qualifying inside the top ten, Alpine has a concrete opportunity to close that gap — provided it converts those positions into points.