Gasly will leave AlphaTauri to join Alpine for the 2023 season, and the Frenchman does not want the threat of a race ban hanging over his head in case his new team finds itself more competitive than expected
Pierre Gasly admitted his embarrassment of having picked up so many penalty points this season â but also pointed his finger at Formula 1 lawmakers as he criticised the “strict” rules that have left him close to a race ban.
The Frenchman currently has 10 points on his licence â another two, which could be earned with just one more incident, would see him become the first ever F1 driver to reach the threshold of 12 in a period of as many months. If that happens, he will be banned for the next race.
To make matters worse, he has to wait until May next year before the first of those points begin to expire. And he is fully aware of how delicate the situation has become for him now.
“It’s a very unpleasant situation, quite delicate and also in some ways a bit embarrassing, to be in a position where I could be banned for a race after the season I’ve done,” Gasly told reporters in Sao Paulo. “I don’t really feel like I’ve been particularly dangerous over these last 12 months, and it would definitely be a harsh penalty.”