Alpine make Gasly demand amid fear of race ban

Ian Parkes
Monday 7 November 2022 09:08

Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has urged incoming driver Pierre Gasly to "be more careful" with the Frenchman facing a potential race ban ahead of his winter move.

AlphaTauri driver Gasly is currently two points shy of collecting 12 on his licence and being handed a suspension for one grand prix.

The latest point was collected in Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix for forcing Aston Martin's Lance Stroll off the circuit as he made an overtake.

Gasly now has the final two races of this season to negotiate, plus the first seven of next year when he will be an Alpine driver, to avoid a ban before points finally drop off his licence.

Assessing Gasly's situation and the likelihood of sitting out a race so early in his time with the team, Szafnauer said: “We just have to be a little bit more careful.”

Jokingly suggested to Szafnauer that Gasly takes a tactical penalty at the next race in Brazil, ruling him out of the season-ending grand prix in Abu Dhabi to ensure his slate is clean for when he arrives at Alpine, he replied: “Yeah, a tactical foul.

"Or maybe he could take a class and then the points drop off.”

Gasly, though, expressed deep concern at his situation over the weekend in Mexico, insisting he is not a dirty driver despite the points accumulation, with the first four for causing a collision in the Spanish and Austrian GPs this year.

“I saw what happened [in Mexico] and at this point, I’m not biased," said Szafnauer.

"It looked 50-50 to me but anyway. Just have to be more careful.”