Pierre Gasly has accumulated 10 Penalty points to his name following the Mexican GP. If a driver accumulates 12 penalty points over the span of a year, they will face an imminent Race ban. This means the Frenchman is just 2 penalty points shy of a race ban.
With his next penalty points deduction only taking place at Imola in 2023, Gasly needs to be cautious. Especially with him moving to Alpine next year. This means he has to evade penalties for 7 more races next year along with the 2 remaining races this season.
The Frenchmans’ future team principal Otmar, Szafnauer has requested Gasly to proceed with a lot of caution for the remaining races. Szafnauer said, “We just have to be a little bit more careful.”
The Alpine boss jokingly suggests Gasly can do “a tactical foul.” That is the Frenchman takes a penalty in the Brazilian GP, excluding him from the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
This would wipe out his existing penalty points tally before he arrives at Alpine for the next season. Not sure how a tactical foul would sit with the FIA. “Or maybe he could take a class and then the points drop off,” Szafnauer adds.
Otmar Szafnauer gives ‘unbiased opinion’ on Gasly’s Mexico GP Penalty
Pierre Gasly accumulated his latest penalty point in Mexico after a failed to overtake Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll. Gasly attempted a move on the inside of Turn 4. But he locked up and ran wide.
This forced Lance Stroll off the track. Gasly was given a 5-second time penalty in the race. And post-race a penalty point for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
According to Aston Martin’s Team Principal Mike Krack, Gasly’s penalty during the Mexico City GP was justified. The cars were struggling to get their tyres to temperature and he shouldn’t have attempted a move like that.
But Otmar Szafnauer thinks otherwise, “I saw what happened in Mexico and at this point, I’m not biased. It looked 50-50 to me but anyway. Just have to be more careful.”
Also Read: Red Bull junior Liam Lawson made it difficult for Yuki Tsunoda to adapt to conditions at Mexican GP
Pierre Gasly says he’s not a dangerous driver
Pierre Gasly has received the most foul and has hit back at the system as “quite harsh”. But there is a high chance that he could miss a race with his new team Alpine if his poor run to the Stewards continues.
Pierre Gasly needs to avoid any penalty points until the 2023 Emilia Romagna GP to avoid a Race ban. But he disagrees with comments that he is reckless on track.
“I’m quite close to being banned for a race, but, in my opinion, I don’t feel like I’ve been that dangerous over the last 12 months. And it would be a shame to get a race ban.”
Gasly received 2 penalty points in Spain for a collision with Stroll. He received further 2 points for a collision with Sebastian Vettel in Austria and an additional point for leaving the track.
He received 2 penalty points for speeding under the safety car in wet conditions. And 2 more in COTA Failing to keep 10 Car Lengths Behind the safety car. And then there is the recent offence in Mexico.
However, Gasly has stated that the Stewards are working to improve the current system ahead of the next season. “I think they’re working on it and probably for next year there’s going to change. That’s good to hear.”
The current penalty points system was introduced in 2014 to discourage drivers from collisions caused by unsafe driving or not abiding by the rules. No driver has been banned since the ruling came into force. And Gasly would hope he isn’t the first name on the list.
Also Read: Pierre Gasly confirms leaving AlphaTauri, Red Bull after 9 years not an ‘escape’ plan
