Pierre Gasly sanctioned for driving too fast in the pits
The Frenchman was apparently too eager to reach his garage during the qualifications. He is fined for speeding.
A black Saturday for Pierre Gasly. The Alpine driver was eliminated in the first phase of qualifying, with a 17th time, before it was erased for exceeding track limits. The Frenchman will therefore be forced to start from last place for his first Grand Prix with the tricolor team.
During that same session, the Normand was caught speeding in the pit lane of the Sakhir circuit. Clocking in at 80.6 km/h, he exceeded the allowed limit by 0.6 km/h. For this minor offence, he will receive a fine of 100 €. He won’t have any points deducted from his super license, as he is only two units away from a race suspension.
After such a disappointment, the new Alpine driver declared, “This obviously wasn’t the start to the season we wanted with this elimination in Q1. That being said, it means we have everything to gain in the race tomorrow and I’m confident that we can still score points this weekend. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel completely in harmony with the car and we were well below our true level. We will have to continue working to understand the car and I’m confident that we will come back stronger in the next qualifying session. I’m focusing on the race tomorrow and I’m really looking forward to it to give it my all.”
