F1 News: Pierre Gasly Reveals Why He Did Not Start British Grand Prix

Pierre Gasly reveals a gearbox issue prevented his start at the British Grand Prix.

Nov 15, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alpine driver Pierre Gasly of France speaks during media availabilities at Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Pierre Gasly did not start the British Grand Prix due to a suspected gearbox issue. The complication forced him to retire the car immediately after the formation lap, ending his race before it even began.

Gasly revealed the issues he and the Alpine team encountered during the formation lap of the British Grand Prix earlier today. He commented in a press release from the team:

“We immediately noticed something was wrong with the car leaving the garage and suspected an issue with the gearbox. We knew there might be a problem to start the race, and, in the end, I came back immediately after the formation lap and had to retire the car. Due to the grid penalty for changing the power unit, it was always going to be a compromised weekend on my side of the garage. It is a pity we could not take part in the race to at least try and fight back for positions."

The weather had been tumultuous all weekend with heavy rain during Saturday's Qualifying. Despite starting from the back of the grid after taking a penalty for exceeding the allocated number of power unit elements, the French driver felt the unpredictable weather could have given him an opportunity to make the most of the race. He continued:

"With the weather being so unstable, there might have been some opportunities for us, but that just was not on the cards today. "

Gasly remains determined to resolve the issues and prevent future occurrences. He stressed the importance of thorough analysis to understand precisely what went wrong and how to address it.

"We will continue to learn and we need to analyse what exactly happened to make sure we will not have the same issue again. There is lots for us to do and we will use the time ahead of Hungary to come back stronger.”