Pierre Gasly has moved to end the controversy surrounding Franco Colapinto after the Alpine team-mates were involved in the major accident that also eliminated Lando Norris from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Speaking ahead of the Formula 1 weekend in Malaysia, the Frenchman made clear that the mistake has been discussed internally and now belongs in the past.
The Baku collision had fuelled debate throughout the week, particularly after strong post-race criticism from Lando Norris and questions over whether Alpine might take further action against Franco Colapinto. Gasly, however, wants the team to draw a line under the incident and concentrate on its remaining objectives.
Alpine moves on from Franco Colapinto’s Baku mistake
The controversy began after Franco Colapinto attempted an overly ambitious move at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Argentine lost control and triggered a multi-car incident that took out his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and himself.
Lando Norris was furious immediately after the race and said there was no place in Formula 1 for drivers such as Franco Colapinto. The McLaren driver subsequently withdrew those comments and apologised to the Argentine both privately and publicly.
Flavio Briatore had also raised the prospect of further action against Franco Colapinto following the incident, but the Alpine driver will compete as scheduled at Kuala Lumpur.
Pierre Gasly says everything is cleared up with Franco Colapinto
Pierre Gasly has now attempted to calm the situation, explaining that Alpine has dealt with what happened in Baku and must concentrate on working together.
“There was a mistake,” Pierre Gasly told journalists in the press conference. “But everything is cleared up and we know what we have to do to focus on the team’s objectives.”
Rather than continuing to dwell on the Azerbaijan collision, Pierre Gasly is looking towards the competitive opportunity awaiting Alpine in Malaysia.
“We have a good car and I think I can fight for fifth place in Malaysia, where the weather is an unknown but can also be an opportunity.”
The comments effectively close the internal controversy from Pierre Gasly’s perspective. Alpine now needs the Baku incident involving car number 43 to remain an isolated episode as the team turns its attention back towards extracting the maximum from a car Gasly believes is capable of a strong result at Sepang.
With unpredictable conditions potentially adding another variable in Malaysia, Alpine’s priority will be to avoid another self-inflicted setback and make the most of the competitiveness Pierre Gasly believes the team currently has.
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