Pierre Gasly could not hide his devastation. "I cannot believe it, so many points gone..." That was his immediate reaction after a collision with his own Alpine teammate, Franco Colapinto, in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was a moment that snatched away what could have been a season-defining result.
Gasly had driven a stellar race, leading the midfield and running seventh when the safety car was deployed for Alexander Albon's crash. Behind him, Colapinto was tenth, while the Racing Bulls were down in 12th and 14th. It was a golden opportunity for Alpine to score big points and close the gap in the constructors' championship.
But disaster struck on the restart. Colapinto locked up massively into Turn 1, slamming into Gasly and sending him into Lando Norris. All three retired on the spot. At the same time, the Racing Bulls also collided, but Arvid Lindblad escaped penalty and went on to snatch seventh at the line. The swing was brutal: Alpine now trails Racing Bulls by 15 points instead of a potential two.
“We're all very disappointed with the outcome after such a strong weekend, strong race,” Gasly said. “I was feeling very good with the car. The pace was almost as good as Lewis and same as Lando.” Before the incident, Gasly was six seconds behind Hamilton and three adrift of Norris, leading Antonelli and Colapinto. “So, keeping up the three-second gap with him until [Norris] locked up in Turn 1, then we had a 15-second margin with Franco behind. I mean, it's still difficult to process what just happened.”
Despite the heartbreak, Gasly admitted the A526 was the best race car he's had all year. “To be fair, I think that's the best race car we've had so far this year, which in a way is positive. At the same time, it's like, when you get these chances to score big points, you've got to make it happen. And sadly it didn't happen today.”
Asked if he was happy with Colapinto's apology, Gasly remained speechless for a few seconds. “I mean, crushed,” he replied. “If you ask me, I'm not happy about today. I'll take his apology.” He refused to blame race leader George Russell for the restart chaos, instead pointing to how F1's new power units may have influenced the Mercedes driver's approach. “George does whatever he wants to do, and it's up to us to... Obviously we were quite bunched up, but with the engines we have and the limitations we have with battery, harvest, etc., you're not really that free in what you can do. So I wasn't really surprised for him to [leave the restart quite late].”
Now Gasly must regroup for the next race, hoping to bounce back and help Alpine recover in the constructors' standings. The Baku blow is a tough pill to swallow, but it's also a test of character for a team fighting in the midfield.
Read Also
George Russell raih Grand Slam pertama di F1 usai dominasi GP Baku. Jarak dengan Antonelli terpangkas, persaingan gelar memanas.
George Russell menahan Max Verstappen di GP Azerbaijan dengan selisih 0,196 detik, finis terdekat ke-11 F1. Simak daftar 10 finis terdekat sepanjang sejarah.
Franco Colapinto minta maaf usai tabrakan di F1 Azerbaijan yang membuat Lando Norris menyerukan ban. Insiden ini juga menyeret nama Pierre Gasly.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!