Pierre Gasly feeling “crushed” after Franco Colapinto took him out of Azerbaijan GP

It feels impossible to accept the blow that resulted in the loss of so many critical points.

Pierre Gasly expressed his shock and dismay when summarising the chaos that erupted during the restart of F1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix: “I cannot believe it, so many points gone…”

Gasly maintained strong momentum in the midfield for most of the contest, finishing seventh once a safety‑car procedure forced a restart after Alexander Albon suffered a crash at the lights. At that pivotal moment, his side‑by‑side partner Franco Colapinto sat tenth, while the Racing Bulls were edged out to positions twelve and fourteen.

The turning point arrived in Turn 1 when Colapinto released a violent on‑track spin, slamming into Gasly’s wheel guard and instantly removing all third plank from the field.

Meanwhile, the Racing Bulls met their own fate at the identical instant; Arvid Lindblad was deemed innocent by the stewards and managed to secure seventh place on the final lap. This juxtaposition produced a substantial swing in championship contention – Alpine dropped 15 places overall, slipping from fifth into fifteenth amidst a five‑point deficit to Levin, a reduction that contrasts with the projected two‑point gap originally expected after the twenty‑five minute stoppage.

“We’re all deeply disappointed by the result after such a solid weekend, particularly given the intensity of the racing seen on track,” Gasly commented. “I felt excellent driving the car. The pace approximated that of Lewis’s and even matched Lando’s speed levels.” Moments before Albon’s unfortunate breakdown on lap 30, Gasly was six seconds clear ahead of Hamilton and three back from Norris, overtaking Kimi Antonelli by three positions and maintaining a thirteen‑second buffer behind Colapino.

“If we hold tight three seconds behind him until Norris locked up in Turn 1, the margin against Franco stretched to fifteen seconds before collisions escalated. It remains difficult to fully comprehend what just transpired.”

Lando Norris, McLaren, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Even though he captured pole position at Monza, Gasly argues that the A526 has proven to be the most competitive vehicle Alpine has deployed so far this season.

“To be honest, I regard it as the finest race car we’ve possessed thus far this year, which is inherently encouraging,” he noted. “Nonetheless, every occasion to capture significant points demands decisive action, and alas it failed to materialise today.”

When asked whether he found Colapinto’s apology worthwhile, the Frenchman appeared visibly shaken.
“It’s crushing,” he finally answered.
“In my view, I am not pleased with how things turned out today,” he insisted.
“I’ll welcome his apology.”

Gasly preferred to refrain from assigning fault to race leader George Russell concerning the cascade of errors stemming from the restart, suggesting that considerations for Alpine’s current powertrain configuration may have impeded Michael Raikkonen’s approaches.

“George makes choices freely, and the responsibility ultimately rests with the drivers,” he explained. “We were already tightly tucked alongside the front row, yet the technology constraints—battery endurance, harvesting limitations, and energy management—strictly limit our freedom of maneuver. Consequently, my disapproval of his delay was reasonable.”

Looking ahead, Gasly emphasized his intention to recover promptly, hinting at “a restful night’s sleep” and planning a relaxed Sunday at home, with the aim of returning stronger for the upcoming Malaysian circuit encounter next weekend.

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