While the double podium finish at Interlagos for Esteban and Pierre will always be the highlight of our 2024 season, the latter’s fifth place in Qatar last weekend was also a very special performance – and it could prove to be a crucial one too.

 

 

The 10 points collected by Pierre on race day put us back ahead of Haas in the battle for sixth place in the World Championship, after Saturday’s sprint saw our rivals jump ahead.

 

 

As in Brazil a combination of great work both in the pitlane and in the cockpit ensured that we brought home a result that hadn’t been anticipated before the start.

 

 

And in this case Pierre faced a particular challenge as he successfully fended off the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz while at the same time managing a request from the pit wall to save fuel.

 

 

Pierre started the race outside the points in 11th place, and with Esteban eliminated after contact with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto at the start, he carried our hopes of scoring points on his own.

 

 

He spent the first part of the race chasing Kevin Magnussen, and thus it became a direct fight between the pair to log vital constructors’ points. When the Dane pitted for hard tyres, Pierre stayed out
“We had a bit of a battle with Kev at the at the start,” said Pierre. “I was in his gearbox, but I could feel I was faster, and as soon as he came in, we just had an amazing pace.

 


"On every lap, I was going faster and faster, and that medium tyre on my car was just amazing. So I could see as soon as Kev came in, I was opening four-tenths a lap on Fernando, I was three-tenths faster than Kev with a new hard, and I didn't want to box.

 


“So I knew if there is any safety car, or virtual safety car, I will benefit from it. And at that stage in the race, I was just overcutting and gaining time on them, so I had no reason to box.

 


“And we put ourselves in a position that if there is a safety car, we can benefit. And it happened. So obviously it worked out well for our race.”

 

 

Pierre pitted with most of the frontrunners on lap 35. He was running P6 in the queue while preparing for the restart after the safety car when Sergio Perez spun right in front of him, forcing hm to run wide.

 

 

“I just tried to keep it clean, which wasn't easy,” he said. “Because I had Checo spinning right in front of me, rolling back. I thought he was going to hit us, and I played safe, went through the gravel, in the dust.

 

 

“I put a lot of dust in my tyres a corner before the restart, and I arrived into Turn 1. When I took the brake, I just went completely straight. I locked up both front tyres because I think they were full of dust!”

 

 

He lost some time, but was soon back in P6, which later became P5 when Lando Norris took a penalty pit stop.

 

 

However Pierre’s life became more difficult when we asked him to lift and coast to save fuel.

 


It’s a normal procedure that drivers are often required to perform in order to manage consumption. However, on this occasion Pierre also had his hands full keeping the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz behind.

 

 

“It doesn't really go together,” Pierre admitted. “Fighting and racing a Ferrari while doing lift and coast, when he's right in my gearbox!

 


“But anyway, I tried to manage it the best way I could. And at the end, I really wanted to get that P5, I know how important the points are in the championship.”
To defend while also saving fuel required some brilliant driving by Pierre.

 

 

“I think I can spot three moments where I think he had a good run to get past me,” he explained. “I had to make a decision to either cover the inside line or the outside line.

 


“And there are different ways of going through there. And I think I first went on the inside, then stayed on the outside.

 


“It was a bit surprising, the last one on the inside. So I was pretty happy with my defence, and I managed to place the car quite well so he could not get a move. It was intense, because he was faster.

 


“I think he had one mistake in the last corner. There was one lap he was quite close, and he lost a second. So I managed to do a bit more lift off at that time to kind of build a bit of margin, but then after he got right back behind me.

 


“I didn't have many days this year where I was fighting for P5, and I had to put my A-game on! And I really enjoyed this type of racing.”

 

 

He made it home safely in P5, and despite Magnussen earning two points for P9, we moved back ahead of Haas in the points’ table.

 

 

“I must say, I enjoyed that race so much,” said Pierre. “It was a lot of laps during the race where we were just flat out at the limit of the grip of the car, and trying to get everything out of it, being on top of the graining and the degradation on the tyre. It's just a great challenge. And I felt good in the car.”

 

 

Coming so soon after Brazil the result was a boost for everyone both in the race team and back at Enstone and Viry.

 

 

“Today was a mega race,” said our team principal Oliver Oakes. “I think the first few corners, we were a bit frustrated. We felt we'd not given the race away, but we were on the back foot a bit there.

 


“And I think that first stint, where Pierre kept Magnussen honest and kept pushing him to the point where he did have to change tyres, and we were able to keep going, was really a key part of the race.

 


“Then the strategy, making those calls again in the high pressure moments, and then the final bit of the race, managing all of that.

 


“He was a bit frustrated that we needed to be a little bit conservative in some areas, but he did a great job. And I think his defending there of Carlos was brilliant. And I have to say to Pierre, he's really bringing it home. It's great to see.”

 

 

He added: “We were trying to go at the pace of a Ferrari, which we normally wouldn't be doing! I think a real credit to everybody there, on all sides of the team, that was really great to see everyone working together.”

 

 

We now head to Abu Dhabi with a five-point advantage over Haas, and 15 over RB. With Jack Doohan making his F1 debut alongside Pierre it promises to be an exciting and challenging weekend for the whole team.