Alpine’s Pierre Gasly had his 2025 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix cut dramatically short following an opening lap incident with Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda at Turn 4. Despite the disappointing outcome, the Frenchman remained positive about the team’s performance and potential shown throughout the weekend at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
First-lap drama ends promising race
Gasly’s race lasted just a handful of corners as contact with Tsunoda sent his Alpine into the barriers with significant rear-end damage. The Frenchman explained how the incident unfolded from his perspective.
“I had a good run in turn 4, a very good braking because he was kind of stuck behind Carlos. I managed to get ahead of him on the braking zone, and I was aware he was on the inside, so I left him as much space as possible to make sure we both make it through the corner,” Gasly recounted after the race.
“Unfortunately, it looked like he understeered off and had this contact which was quite small, but unfortunately, he just sent the car straight into the wall.”
No hard feelings despite costly incident
Despite the premature end to his F1 Saudi Arabian GP, Gasly was philosophical about the collision and maintained there was mutual respect between himself and Tsunoda.
“The incident itself, it’s racing, but it’s more the fact that the car looked strong. I knew, I mean, I was very confident going into the race that we’ll have the pace to fight those Williams and I think it would have been great just to get a shot at it and see what we can get out of it,” he said.
“I mean, I know his intentions, I know there is huge respect between Yuki and myself, so I know it didn’t mean anything bad. It’s more sort of judgement and, you know, first lap, cold tyres, etc. At the end, we all fight for our race so it feels like we should have taken slightly more margin but at the same time, it’s like, it’s just, at the end of the day, it’s motorsport and on a track like this it’s hard to pick it up.”
Positive signs for Alpine’s development during F1 Saudi Arabian GP
Despite the disappointment of his early retirement, Gasly highlighted the encouraging signs shown by Alpine throughout the weekend, continuing a positive trend for the team.
“On a positive note, the whole weekend we were competitive and even on this track. There is a lot to take but it’s just a shame for the whole team not to actually capitalise on the strong weekend we’ve had so far,” he noted.
The Frenchman was particularly encouraged by the team’s progress in understanding their car, which has translated into stronger performances in recent races.
“I think honestly the team the last few weekends really put a good effort in understanding the car and trying to maximise weekend after weekend, and it does feel that we’ve done a strong job over the triple header, so I feel like we’re back in a position where we can fight those points finishing, which is the most important.”
Looking ahead to Miami after intense schedule
With the F1 Saudi Arabian GP marking the end of a hectic stretch of five races in six weekends, Gasly acknowledged the importance of the upcoming break before the Miami Grand Prix.
“Yeah, definitely. I’ve only been home for three weeks so it’s definitely going to be nice to have a few days to cool off and rest and even for the whole team just to have a review so I’ll be at the factory next week,” he said.
“Before Miami we’ve already got a couple of topics we want to discuss to try to improve the whole dynamic. Honestly looking 12 months back and see where the team is heading at the moment, I’m very pleased with all the efforts and the attention on details and the way the team is shaping up so a lot of momentum and now we’ve got to focus on Miami.”
While Gasly’s teammate Jack Doohan opted for an alternative strategy during the early Safety Car period, pitting for Hard tyres in an attempt to complete the race without a further stop, Alpine ultimately left Saudi Arabia empty-handed. However, with the pace shown throughout the weekend, the team will be looking to bounce back at the Miami Grand Prix after the well-earned break.
