Pierre Gasly, a race spoiled by collisions
Pierre Gasly was forced to retire in Miami. The Normand, starting in seventh position, was having a great race and could have hoped to hold onto that seventh position if it wasn't for collisions with Alonso and Norris that cost him his race.
Despite his best performance of the season, Pierre Gasly leaves Miami disappointed. The Frenchman was unable to finish the race, retiring after contact with Fernando Alonso and then Lando Norris.
However, right from the start, Gasly took advantage of the traffic in front of Lewis Hamilton to pass him on the outside at the first corner. The Frenchman is already sixth at the end of the first lap. A position he maintains until the beginning of the tenth lap where the British driver overtakes him thanks to DRS, but Gasly resists well to the pressure from Alonso, who is less than a second behind for five laps.
Always ahead of the Spaniard after the first pit stop, the AlphaTauri driver puts up resistance for over twenty laps against the Spaniard, who gradually claws his way back. On the 40th lap, Alonso tries to surprise Gasly at the first turn, but the Alpine driver arrives from too far away and collides with the rear right wheel of the AlphaTauri.
Out of the trajectory, the French driver loses two positions as Lance Stroll takes advantage of the collision to regain the tenth place. Alonso will receive a five-second penalty for this incident.
One lap later, struggling heavily with a damaged AT03 and worn-out tires, Gasly and Norris, who was overtaking him, make contact and the British driver spins out, losing a wheel in the process, resulting in his retirement. The Frenchman attempts to return to the pit for a tire change, but his team quickly informs him that the car is no longer able to finish the race.
Fernando Alonso touched me and broke my car. Unfortunately, after that, it was undriveable, but we tried to continue and we were about to return to retire when this happened with Norris. I turned right to avoid him, but he closed the gap and hit me. Pierre Gasly expresses his regret, visibly disappointed after the race.
What is unfortunate is that we were having a good race before Fernando broke our car. It ruined our race. It’s not the way we wanted to finish this Grand Prix that had started well.
Fernando Alonso has made his mea culpa. “It was completely my mistake, I deserve the penalty. I braked too late, I missed the apex,” apologizes the Spanish driver.
With this new retirement, his second of the season, Pierre Gasly is only thirteenth in the standings with six meager points, four less than his teammate but especially ten less than last year at the same time.
