Gasly Furious After Turn 1 Crash Ruins Vegas Race
Pierre Gasly didn’t hold back after his Las Vegas Grand Prix was effectively over before it really began.
“It’s just been a pretty s*** day,” the frustrated Frenchman told reporters.
Gasly had qualified brilliantly to start in the top 10, continuing his strong form in Sin City. But his race unraveled immediately when rookie Gabriel Bortoleto caused a Turn 1 incident that sent Gasly spinning.
The damage was significant.
“Just got spun around and my diffuser got smashed at the back. So, yes, a long f** flight to end up spun around [on] Saturday and get another unlucky race in Vegas for me,” Gasly explained.
The rookie responsible didn’t escape punishment. Bortoleto received a 10-second time penalty for the crash, which officials later converted to a five-place grid drop for the upcoming Qatar GP.
For Gasly, it was the continuation of a frustrating pattern in Las Vegas.
“It’s been three years in a row where I have very strong qualifying and it doesn’t really translate into the race. It’s a bit disappointing but that’s what it is.”
The Alpine driver limped home in 13th place, well outside the points.
What made the situation even more frustrating was the car damage combined with Alpine’s already challenging aerodynamic package.
“It’s just one of those which I got into Turn 1, I was cornering and then I just got hit from the back and spun, went back, and it’s not like our car’s got huge downforce on it,” he said. “So if on top of that you get damaged, it’s just been quite a long afternoon.”
Gasly didn’t shy away from criticizing the driving standards of the less experienced drivers.
“I don’t know exactly what happened with Lawson, but obviously Bortoleto made a pretty big misjudgment there, and Liam also hit Piastri so yeah two guys with not much experience.”
He pointed out that Turn 1 in Vegas has been notoriously difficult in previous races, something the rookies should have factored into their approach.
“I think clearly yesterday was a good display of driving skills; Turn 1, not really today.”
Finding Silver Linings
Despite the disappointing race result, Gasly tried to focus on the positives from the weekend.
“It’s my ninth Q3 of the year. I’m very happy with my qualifying performance,” he said.
The Frenchman has bounced back from mid-season struggles, having recently scored points in both the Sprint and Grand Prix at Interlagos before the Vegas disappointment.
“We’ve had a bit of a deep mid-season and found out some of the reasons why it wasn’t going too well. And I must say, I’m pretty pleased.”
“We’re still trying every weekend. And it was pretty tough yesterday, but I think overall we did a good job. It’s just a shame for all the guys not to really benefit from it.”
With just two races remaining in the 2024 season, Gasly will be hoping his qualifying pace can finally translate into the race results he deserves in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
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