Alpine drivers lament ‘very long afternoon’ in Las Vegas after both suffer Lap 1 contact

Alpine had high hopes of picking up a point or two in Las Vegas, such was the pace Pierre Gasly had shown throughout the weekend at a track he tends to go well at. But despite starting in the top 10, the Frenchman’s chances of scoring were over as soon as the race began, due to contact in the opening corner.

Gasly was hit and spun by Lance Stroll, who in turn had been hit by Gabriel Bortoleto, the Brazilian later handed a five-place grid drop for next weekend’s race in Qatar for causing the collision. The contact put Stroll and Bortoleto into retirement, but Gasly was able to continue – albeit with a heavily damaged car.

But the moment dropped him to the back of the field, and missing downforce, the Frenchman never looked likely to recover back up the order. He came home 13th, two places ahead of his team mate.

“I just got absolutely crashed into and then spun around and lost about 10 points of downforce after 100 metres and the race was over. I’m trying to laugh about it, but it definitely doesn’t make me laugh!” Gasly said.

“I think it’s more frustration, and I’m just sad for the [team] because I felt good in the car the entire weekend, in the dry, in the wet.

“We did a good Quali and I was looking forward to the race and I don’t fully understand what Gabi [Bortoleto] tried to do there, but unfortunately, he crashed into Stroll, who touched me and spun me and broke the back of my diffuser, so a very long afternoon.”

Gasly qualified third here last year and fourth the year before but has yet to score in Vegas. The one positive he was able to take away from the weekend was the pace of the car, however.

“I think we could have had the pace to fight for the top 10. We could have been able to be right there or right behind, but we’ve lost quite a huge amount of downforce with that [hit]. The diffuser was gone.

“So to be sure, there was quite a lot more pace, but we will never know. Definitely, it feels a bit annoying. It’s been three years where I’ve had amazing Quali and then, in the race, it’s never translated into a good race. I was really hoping that this year could be different, but that’s not the case.”

As for Franco Colapinto, he too was hit at the start, by Alex Albon. The Argentine racer was able to carry on much as his team mate did, despite damage to the rear of the car and the diffuser.

“I just had damage from the start and after that, it was pretty bad. I had no grip, no rear, I was sliding all over the place, and I don’t know if it was all down to damage or not, but it felt very bad, the balance, and just no grip on the rear,” Colapinto explained.

“Disappointing. A disappointing race, and just very slow.”