Pierre Gasly has revealed how he was subjected to a random early-morning drug test ahead of the 2026 Formula 1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Gasly was given an early wake up call by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) at Sao Paulo before the race at Interlagos this weekend.
The Alpine driver, like his rivals on the grid, is bound by the WADA anti-doping rules as are all FIA-sanctioned competitors.
The Frenchman did good by adhering to the test administrators as even missed tests are categorised as ‘failed’ and can follow with monetary as well as sporting penalties, including competition bans.
But despite this little hinderance, there is a silver lining for Gasly this weekend, with the 30-year-old being a two-time podium-sitter at the track.
“I got woken up at 06:00 for a doping test this morning, so I’m not in the best mood,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“It was a bad night, but I love this place. It’s the only track where I’ve had two F1 podiums, my first in 2019 and then in 2024 in the rain. And Sunday looks like it is going to rain, so I am very excited.”
Pierre Gasly reflects on F1 Mexico City GP mistake
It was a bitter sweet race for Gasly at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last Sunday.
The Alpine driver took the chequered flag in 10th, being then provisionally bumped up to ninth following Oscar Piastri’s penalty.
However, a yellow flag infringement during the race meant the stewards imposed a 30-second time penalty on the Frenchman including two penalty points on his license.
This saw him plummet down to 17th in the final race classification. Looking back, Gasly took “responsibility” for this costly mistake.
“Ultimately, I didn’t slow down enough, so I take full responsibility for the penalty,” he said.
“For the penalty, I think the circumstances of it were not very easy because the crash happened right in front of us, and I think the double yellow was right as I was at the apex of Turn 1, and I didn’t really go back on the throttle, which makes me slow down, but obviously, it wasn’t enough for the stewards to be comfortable with it.
“So it was not great, and then after that, I think there was a panel in Turn 3 which showed green, yellow, green, yellow, so the panel didn’t quite work, so it was not straightforward, but at the end of the day, it is just annoying that it cost points to the team.
“I’ve always pushed myself to be strict on yellow flags because it is safety-related, so that’s why I’m not going to argue the penalty, because in the situation, it was really safe.
“Lindblad’s car was completely to the right; I could see where it was, but nonetheless, if you have a yellow flag in Monaco or Las Vegas, or these types of tracks, we should always slow down, and that’s why, to me, I was wrong, and there is no arguing about it.
“But the question of consistency, I think, is quite clear on what needs to be done and what I haven’t done.
“Now, we’ve got a good example of what is not tolerated in a race condition, and I just expect the same for any other driver going forward.”
Heading into the race at Interlagos, Gasly sits 10th in the drivers’ standings.
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