Gasly sets terms to mend rift with Colapinto after Baku clash | OneFootball

PierreGasly made respect the condition for maintaining his relationship with FrancoColapinto at Alpine, after their crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix forced both drivers and Lando Norris of McLaren to retire. Norris later apologized for criticizing the driver from Pilar. Both drivers have a very good relationship off the track, something that has remained intact over the last two seasons despite their incidents on track.

The Argentine acknowledged his mistake in Baku, which ended in an accident that cost the French team important points. Gasly showed his frustration over the situation, but repeatedly highlighted the attitude Colapinto took after the crash.

“As long as there is respect, anything is possible,” the Frenchman told Sky Sports F1. Gasly noted that the 23-year-old admitted his mistake from the outset and has apologized several times since. “Franco and I have spoken after the incident and he has apologized, which I accept, and we will discuss everything as a team to improve for the future,” he said in a team statement.

The incident happened with 15 laps remaining in the Baku street race. Colapinto locked up as he started braking, lost control, and hit Gasly. The Frenchman’s frustration was explained by the level of performance Alpine had shown throughout the weekend and the possibility of scoring points with both cars.

“The car was one of the best race cars we have had this season. I’m still struggling to process the result and the fact that we had both cars in the points,” Gasly told Motorsport. “It was not an ideal day, but I’m sure we will move on from this. Today we lost points, and I hope we can recover them between now and the end of the year,” he added.

Colapinto explained the accident and immediately admitted his mistake. “I locked up when I started braking and then I was out of control all the way through the braking zone. There wasn’t much I could do. Sorry to the whole team and to Pierre. It was a big and serious mistake, we lost a lot of points with both cars,” he admitted.

The Argentine driver also attributed part of his difficulties to rear degradation on his car: “I didn’t have much pace. I started to get rear degradation and dropped back a bit. It was quite difficult for me. I’m very disappointed with today’s race and I’m very sorry for what happened to the team, to everyone at the factory, to Pierre and Lando (Norris), of course, and to everyone who has been supporting us. It was a big mistake on my part and it should not have happened.”

On the Monday after the Baku crash, Alpine condemned the hateful messages spread on digital platforms against its drivers. The Enstone-based team called for an end to what it described as a behavior that has become increasingly common in recent Formula 1 rounds.

The tension between the Alpine teammates already had a precedent in the previous race in Madrid. Colapinto had been held up by Gasly in the closing stages while trying to defend his position against Oscar Piastri. After that race, Gasly received messages targeting him and his family on social media. The French driver then expressed his discomfort over those attacks.

Formula 1 will continue next weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will exceptionally be held in Malaysia because of the conflict in the Middle East. Sepang International Circuit will host the category for the first time in nine years and it will be an unfamiliar track for Colapinto, who will have to serve a five-place grid penalty.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.