After yet another tough wheel-to-wheel battle with Alpine Formula 1 team-mate Esteban Ocon at the Austrian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly conceded “I can’t control this guy.”
A mid-race lul in the Austrian GP ahead of Max Verstappen and Lando Norris igniting the end of the race was enlivened by the squabbling Alpine Formula 1 duo.
After passing Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Gasly and Ocon routinely swapped positions with forceful moves before Gasly ultimately gained the upper hand as he toughed it around the outside of Turn 4 to steal 11th place on the inside of Turn 5.
After getting both its cars into Q3, Alpine could have done without squabbling on the periphery of the points, but Gasly did at least get one Anglo-French car into the top-10 by the time the chequered flag fell.
Still, the Frenchman addressed Alpine’s ‘rules of engagement’ post-race and pondered whether the battle cost the team a double-points finish.
“We’ll review that,” Gasly told the media when asked if the intra-team contest cost the Alpine’s precious time to challenge the cars ahead.
“I think [team instruction] was as clear as it could be before the race.
“But I can only control what happens in my car, I can’t control this guy. It is what it is.
“It’s something we’ll have to discuss between us, but we’ve already discussed it and we’ll see if there’s anything else we can do.”
Ocon will depart Alpine for pastures new at the end of this season and his time as Gasly’s team-mate has been fraught with complication.
The number one rule of don’t hit your team-mate took just three events to be broken in 2023 as Gasly clashed with Ocon after a late red-flag restart in last year’s Australian Grand Prix.
However, a big flashpoint came in the opening lap of this year’s Monaco Grand Prix when Ocon hit his Alpine team-mate trying to make a Lap 1 overtake, in contradiction to alleged team orders to hold station.
That drew heavy criticism from Team Principal Bruno Famin who even threatened to drop Ocon for the Canadian GP.
Ocon made it to Montreal, but was aggrieved when he had to late Gasly by late on during the Canadian GP.
The current Alpine racing lineup can’t race each other without tensions running high and it’s best for all involved that they’re parting ways at the end of the season.
Gasly’s team-mate for 2025 remains an unknown, with the Enstone-based Formula 1 outfit rumoured to be chasing Carlos Sainz’s signature, or failing that, promoting Jack Doohan from within its Academy ranks.
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