What Colapinto took away from Gasly's pole position at Monza to achieve his breakthrough in Madrid

Franco Colapinto mentioned that analyzing Pierre Gasly's qualifying performance at Monza aided him in improving during the Spanish Grand Prix, where he secured a seventh-place finish after advancing to Q3.

Colapinto had been in search of solutions after qualifying eighth at Monza while his Alpine teammate Gasly achieved an unexpected pole position.

This outcome was particularly remarkable considering how closely matched the two had been earlier in the weekend. In Q1, where Gasly led the session, Colapinto was fourth, just 0.050 seconds behind.

The gap widened as qualifying continued. Gasly was three tenths quicker in Q2 and four tenths ahead in Q3.

"Pierre was very fast throughout qualifying. In Q1 I was quite close, and I believe that as the sessions progressed, he kept advancing more than I did. I have a lot to improve on my end to understand that and learn from how much he was enhancing his performance with every attempt while I was lagging a bit," Colapinto reflected at the time.

Franco Colapinto, Alpine

Colapinto later delved into the data from Monza to grasp how Gasly had discovered extra performance as qualifying unfolded.

A week later in Madrid, Colapinto consistently outpaced his teammate throughout qualifying and made it to Q3, despite needing to abandon his initial Q2 attempt after being caught out at the fast La Monumental corner.

"[Madrid] qualifying was one of my best sessions, delivering very precise laps and placing the car into Q3. It was always going to be challenging with the Audis and RBs being very quick here," Colapinto shared with media, including Motorsport.com, after finishing seventh on Sunday.

"Today we maintained our position in the race and earned significant points. So I'm quite satisfied. Once more, it's very positive and I'm really pleased with the pace and the outcomes."

Colapinto believes that the efforts he made after Monza played a role in his performance in Madrid.

"I checked off everything and I'm very content with that. I think after Monza, I gained a lot from Pierre's qualifying and aimed to make progress here. I accomplished that and optimized everything once again," he stated.

Franco Colapinto, Alpine, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

When asked by Motorsport.com what insights he gained from Gasly at Monza, Colapinto highlighted not just driving techniques but also how the more seasoned Alpine driver handled the car's energy throughout various qualifying stages.

"I think it was a bit of everything," he remarked. "His experience was evident, and the steps he took in all aspects, both in driving and energy management, from one run to another, from Q1 to Q2 to Q3, were very clear. I learned from that."

Colapinto felt that this was evident in his own advancement through qualifying in Madrid.

"I think I was really on top of my game in qualifying here, at a very challenging track. It's likely the most difficult one of the year to master a lap and also the most rewarding when you succeed. Both Q2 and Q3 were exceptional laps.

"Again, I made progress there, and that's what I was aiming for. So I'm pleased with that."