Wet weather conditions and on-track drama go hand in hand. And at a short track like Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, traffic is a problem that is heightened in the rain. With ever-evolving track and weather conditions, drivers weren’t just fighting for track position but also for the right window. And Alpine driver Pierre Gasly found himself smack-dab in the middle of traffic as he was finishing his final flying lap to get himself out of Q1. Well, he didn’t make it and was fuming to put it lightly. 

Alpine had a less-than-ideal start to the weekend, with Gasly’s FP1 outing only lasting three corners before technical problems ensued. In an extended FP2, his teammate Esteban Ocon had a water leak that shortened his running time, but Gasly still managed to put in some laps. In FP3, though, while Ocon was still recovering from the water pressure issues, Gasly managed to finish P6 in a drenched session. But given Gasly’s pace, both Alpines were in a position to secure a place in Q3. That was until Gasly—instead of being met by the chequered flag at the end of Q1—came face-to-back with Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.

Carlos Sainz returned the favor to Pierre Gasly during qualifying 

Rewind two weeks to Q1 in Barcelona. Carlos Sainz was on a fast lap and was impeded by Gasly going into the track’s final corner, and Gasly received a three-place grid penalty for it. Come back to Q1 in Montreal, Gasly is on a fast lap trying to get out of Q1 when he is impeded by Sainz going into the track’s final corner. While Sainz will most likely receive a penalty, the only difference between the two situations is that Gasly missed out on a Q2 appearance in Canada, while Sainz made it through.

Needless to say, Gasly was furious. While talking in the media pen after his exit, he said, “I’m absolutely disgusted with this qualifying. It was extremely dangerous what happened in front of me with Carlos.” Sainz is no stranger to investigations and penalties for impeding, and Gasly was quick to point that out, the most recent being a similar situation in FP3 with Alex Albon. He said, “It’s true that it’s not the first time it’s happened with him [Sainz], but I’m completely disgusted.”

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After the incident, Gasly even appealed to his team, saying that Sainz should be suspended for something like that. What made him so furious was knowing he had the pace to make it through to Q2 easily. “It’s a lap that put us easily in the top 6.” His teammate, being up there in P8, further confirmed his statement.

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Gasly has a lot of work to do to make up places in the race, just like he did last time out. While that was due to his errors, he was an innocent victim in qualifying this time. Alpine took the time between the two races to improve their driver communications. With Carlos Sainz already being investigated twice this weekend for impeding, Ferrari might think of doing the same too.

Pierre Gasly and Alpine sorted out their communication problems

The Spanish GP weekend saw Gasly suffer a six-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen and Sainz during qualifying. So even though he qualified in fourth, he started the race in tenth. And by the end of the first lap, he was down in P14. In an Alpine that has improved throughout the season so far, he managed to make up places and finish where he started.

After the race, though, Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer said that if Gasly had started higher, he could’ve held onto his position and finished higher than he did. To avoid more instances of grid penalties due to lack of communication, Gasly and his engineers met to discuss communication strategy during the two-week break. And from the looks of it, communication within the team has been better this weekend.

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Will Carlos Sainz receive a penalty for impeding Gasly during qualifying, or will he get away scot-free as he did in FP3? And do you feel drastic measures like a suspension need to be taken, as Gasly suggested?