Middle finger, heated discussion: Pierre Gasly’s anger towards Alpine
In the last turn of the Suzuka circuit, Pierre Gasly had to let Estaban Ocon pass, at the request of Alpine officials. A situation that the winner of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix does not understand.
Tensions are starting to emerge as the season comes to an end. And it’s happening among everyone: Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams… And now Alpine too. Well, to a certain extent. Two months after the major restructuring internally, a new decision hasn’t been met with unanimous agreement among the drivers.
During the Japanese Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon let his teammate pass in an attempt to overtake Fernando Alonso for eighth place, with seven laps remaining. However, since he couldn’t make the pass, Alpine asked Pierre Gasly to give the position back to Esteban Ocon. This led to a heated discussion with his race engineer.
Virile discussion
Pierre Gasly: « Wait, what the hell is this mess? Is this a joke? […] I was faster, I have less worn tires! If he hadn’t let me pass, I would have overtaken him anyway. »
His engineer: « We discussed it in the office. Swap positions, please. »
Pierre Gasly: « Are you serious? Are you serious right now? I was leading, I stayed in front for the whole race, and you let him undercut me, and then… »
His engineer: « My guy, I’m not kidding, it’s an instruction that comes from the pit wall. Please do it on the next lap, at turn 16. »
A well-deserved position according to Gasly
Once the maneuver was done, Pierre Gasly let his anger show by making several gestures with his hands, including one offensive finger. After the race, he stated that he deserved the ninth position more than his teammate.
La frustration de Pierre Gasly à l’arrivée du #JapaneseGP 😳
Le pilote Alpine a dû laisser passer son coéquipier pour la 9ème place, quelques mètres avant de franchir la ligne 🏁 #F1 pic.twitter.com/YnNrJBPTy4
— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) September 24, 2023
« For the team, whether we finish ninth and tenth or tenth and ninth, it’s the same thing. I don’t understand the decision to change positions considering it had never been discussed before the race », he stated on Canal +. « They had told me that if they decided to do the undercut with Esteban to help him during his race, we would exchange positions at the end, and that’s what we did. But on the last lap, they asked me to swap back, which had never been the case because I started ahead, I had a better qualifying, and I had better pace with fresher tires at the end. I don’t really understand the need for it, but well, we finish ninth and tenth and for the team, it’s three more points. The rest, we will discuss internally. »
A « not easy decision to make »
The team boss, Bruno Famin, reveals that this decision was made in the interest of the team and that they are not easy to make. Esteban Ocon adds that this type of order has been in place since his arrival in the [Renault] team. The rule has always been the same with Daniel [Ricciardo at Renault], with Fernando [Alonso]: if a driver gives up a position – in this case, I gave the position to Pierre, he had to take the one in front, which was Fernando’s, in order to keep it. Otherwise, you give it back to your teammate. That’s what we have always done. If I were on the other side, I would obviously do the same.
