The French driver stated that the team orders were respected exactly as agreed and acknowledged that the Italian Grand Prix will be a major challenge for the single-seater
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The end of the Dutch Grand Prix sparked a heated debate in the paddock, mainly due to Alpine's strategy that ended up favoring Pierre Gasly and left Franco Colapinto without the chance to score his first points of the season.
The context was decisive, since the Frenchman was running on very worn hard tires, while the Buenos Aires native had new soft tires and was trying to overtake Esteban Ocon. The Haas driver overtook him without any issues, but Colapinto got stuck behind his teammate.
In this scenario, the controversy arises from the nearly two seconds that passed until the order to let him through arrived. To make matters worse, Gasly was quickly overtaken and dropped down the standings, finishing last (not counting the retirements of Hamilton, Leclerc, and Norris). When Franco managed to close the gap to Ocon, there was no time left, with the race ending on lap 72 in 11th place.
The situation caused frustration for the Argentine driver and a flood of criticism on social media from fans. However, Gasly gave his version ahead of Monza: "Yes, we talked about it in person. Yes, I think everything is clear. What happened was what had been indicated before the race... So yes, I think everything is fine," he explained in an interview with the specialized outlet Motorsport.
Gasly habló personalmente de la decisión con Colapinto
When asked if there was another way to solve it, the Frenchman was candid: "Yes, if the instructions had been different, yes. But I think these are things that are discussed before the race... in both cases, it was done exactly as previously agreed."
Looking ahead, Gasly warned that the Italian Grand Prix will be a major challenge for Alpine and its single-seater: "This weekend will be difficult. A tough task and a great challenge await us... we approach each race individually and keep the same focus: to give our best," he stated to Formula 1's official website.
