It’s uncommon in Formula 1 for a driver not to be happy when they’ve achieved their best result of the season.
After eight races in 2024, each team knows where they sit in the pecking order so any overachievement is a bonus.
However, BBC Sport commentator Harry Benjamin – speaking on The Chequered Flag Podcast – believes one driver who recorded their strongest performance of the year will be left frustrated with how things panned out at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Seven out of the ten teams on the grid came away with points in Monaco, with Haas, Aston Martin and the struggling Sauber team all failing to finish in the top ten.
It was the toughest weekend of the year for Red Bull, with Max Verstappen claiming the team’s only points of the event after Sergio Perez’s crash.
READ MORE: Martin Brundle provides his verdict on Sergio Perez’s huge crash at the Monaco Grand Prix
On the opposite end of the scale, Pierre Gasly finally earned his first point of the year in Monaco, but Benjamin believes he’ll be disappointed that he didn’t achieve more.
The Frenchman has four podiums in his career and is unlikely to add to that tally this season given where Alpine is in the F1 hierarchy.
However, he’s now off the mark but may be left wondering if he should have achieved more and that may partly come down to the behaviour of his teammate.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Pierre Gasly might be disappointed with the result of the Monaco Grand Prix
Alpine have had a torrid start to the 2024 season but their performances have improved slightly in the last few races.
They were rooted to the back of the grid in Bahrain but both cars managed to reach Q2 in Monaco.
Gasly went one better and reached Q3 for the final time this season, achieving his best starting position of 10.
Where you start the race in Monaco makes a huge difference and Gasly might have been a bit disappointed that he couldn’t set a faster time than Alex Albon or Yuki Tsunoda.
The team nearly suffered a disaster during the first lap of the race as Esteban Ocon spotted a rare opportunity to overtake before heading into the tunnel.
It was a misjudged move that ended his race and Gasly was lucky to escape without any serious damage.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Pierre Gasly may feel he could have scored more points in Monaco
Talking about the minor points scorers in Monaco, Benjamin said: “Absolutely, [Yuki] Tsunoda’s on a roll at the moment, we talked about him a lot, he’s doing all the right things, can’t fault him right now.
“Alex Albon, first points on the board for himself and Williams, they will be mightily important for them.
“And then Pierre Gasly, I actually think Gasly even though that’s his first point all season long and it’s another point for Alpine, I actually think he’s going to be really frustrated and disappointed in this race.
“First in qualifying, they thought Gasly could have got P8 on the grid with his qualifying lap in Q3 but he hit traffic.
“And then of course, the two Alpines collided in the right-hander of Portier on lap one coming into the tunnel and that’s just rule number one isn’t it? Especially those two who don’t get on.”
Will Pierre Gasly be driving for Alpine in 2025?
Although Gasly might be disappointed with not scoring more points in Monaco for Alpine, he’ll be glad he’s no longer sitting on zero points.
Gasly’s contract with the French manufacturer expires at the end of the year as does his teammate Esteban Ocon’s.
However, Gasly is more likely to be retained by the team than Ocon, especially after his dressing down following his incident in Monte Carlo.
The 28-year-old is also on Audi’s shortlist although he’s not currently near the top.
Guenther Steiner has suggested that he’s unlikely to be within Haas’s budget for next year either.
Gasly may be best staying where he is and he may have a new teammate alongside him who he has a better relationship with than his fellow Frenchman.
The post ‘Really frustrated’: Four-podium star will be 'disappointed' despite season-best finish in Monaco - BBC pundit appeared first on F1 Oversteer.