F1 star ‘ruled out’ BEFORE race at Belgian GP following…read more
Pierre Gasly experienced a difficult and frustrating moment during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, particularly in Saturday’s sprint race. Just moments before the sprint was scheduled to begin, the Alpine driver found himself unable to start due to unexpected mechanical issues. Despite qualifying in a promising eighth position for the sprint, Gasly’s hopes of scoring points were dashed when his car encountered a technical problem on the grid.
As the cars lined up for the sprint race, Gasly’s Alpine machine was seen being pushed away by the team’s mechanics. The scene immediately raised concerns and speculation among fans and commentators, as it was unusual for a car to be removed from the grid so close to the start. Shortly afterward, it was confirmed that Gasly’s car had suffered from a water leak, a fault that left the team scrambling for solutions. Unfortunately, the problem proved too severe to fix in the limited time before the lights went out, effectively ruling the Frenchman out of contention.
While the sprint race commenced without him, the Alpine crew continued to work relentlessly in the garage, hoping to get the car back in running condition. Their efforts paid off eventually, but by the time Gasly was able to rejoin the track, he was already two laps behind the rest of the field. With any realistic chance of competing for a points finish completely gone, the situation turned into little more than a test session for both driver and team. Gasly’s focus shifted to gathering valuable data, checking the car’s performance, and ensuring that everything would be ready for the main Grand Prix race on Sunday.
The incident was particularly disappointing for Gasly because he had shown promising pace in the qualifying session for the sprint. Securing eighth place on the grid gave him a good opportunity to fight for points, especially considering the unpredictable weather and track conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. Instead, the mechanical failure left him watching from the sidelines as the rest of the field battled for positions.
Mechanical reliability is always a key factor in Formula 1, and Gasly’s experience at Spa highlighted how quickly things can change in the sport. A single technical fault can undo hours of preparation and strategy. For Alpine, the setback served as a reminder of the importance of reliability alongside performance. Although the team did manage to get Gasly’s car back on track, being two laps down meant his sprint race was effectively over before it began.
