Pierre Gasly and the overtaking of Franco Coalpinto in the United States

In Mexico, where the 20th round of F1 will be held this weekend, the Frenchman was asked about the disobedience of his Alpine teammate at the end of the Austin competition.

In the notebooks of all the journalists who traveled to cover the Mexico City GP, the 20th round of F1, there was one topic highlighted: the Alpinegate. The end of the United States GP, just four days before the press conference in the Mexican capital, raised dust in the offices of the Enstone team: Franco Colapinto quickly approached his teammate Pierre Gasly and the message came over the radio for the Argentine: “We must maintain positions.”. The ex-Williams disobeyed the directive and surpassed the Frenchman.

The disobedience did not go down well. Steve Nielsen, director of the French team, said he was “disappointed” after the Texan race and that there would be talks inside because the orders must be followed. Already in Mexico, Colapinto was consulted about the situation and noted: “A team order must always be obeyed. It is also true that situations are complicated and I think that, as a driver, it was natural for me at that moment to compete, but we reviewed it with the team. We spoke and discussed everything. I think everything is good and clear,” said the Argentine.

The other bell was Gasly’s. “What he did last Sunday does not reflect what he has achieved as a driver. Was it his best decision? No. Will he learn from it? Yes. But, overall, he is doing a good job for the team, and I think it is important to move in the same direction as a group. That’s what we have to do, especially in the times we are living in,” analyzed the former member of the Red Bull family.

“I know that in the team it is important to stay united, that is why it is not what we showed last weekend and what we want to share, because it is difficult for everyone and because of the positions we are fighting for, it is important for us to focus on next year and show that we are all moving forward,” he added. And, like Colapinto, he assured that it had been discussed inside: “We already discussed it. What needed to be said has already been said, and everything is fine.”