During the 2025 F1 Austrian GP Thursday press conference, Pierre Gasly called for a review of Penalty Points
Penalty points are notorious in the F1 Paddock, as the FIA are strict and fast with the rulings, with drivers receiving points for infractions like collisions or flag violations. But still misunderstood by many in the paddock and fans alike.
New FIA guidelines clarified how penalties are applied prior to the Austrian Grand Prix press conference on over 100 infractions, And Max Verstappen notably sits on 11 points, just one away from suspension.
Gasly on Penalty Points
But, Pierre Gasly believes there should be a review of the whole system of Penalty points, as when he and Max Verstappen were asked whether racing has become less natural, and that penalty points should only apply when it’s a truly dangerous move, rather than just mistakes. Gasly said:
“No. To me personally, I don’t feel that way. I think you go hard racing, and you know where the limit is.
“There is mutual respect with other drivers, and that’s the limit of the environment, and you try to push it to the absolute limit. Sometimes you go slightly over it.
“Now, the way we penalise is another question. – Whether some of the penalties are too strong, not strong enough, etc. This is another conversation. But in the way that we go racing wheel-to-wheel, it feels natural.”
Gasly continued on and jokingly said:
“You know you’re not going to get a long answer from Max, right?
“Personally, I’m not a big fan of penalty points. I think the level we have in Formula 1 – we are professional in what we do.
“We obviously push things to the limits, but to have a race ban potentially… I was in that situation a couple of months ago, and I don’t think I was a dangerous driver on track.
“So, for me, it’s something that can be reviewed, and maybe there’s another way of applying some sort of penalties without getting into the risk of having a driver missing a race.”
Gasly’s performance in Canada
Pierre Gasly has had a difficult season so far, only scoring 11 points for himself and Alpine. This came after another difficult race at the Canadian Grand Prix, where the Frenchman finished in P15. One lap down and scoring no points.
After a troubled qualifying session in Q1. Gasly started from the pit lane due to a setup change and struggled to gain much-needed traction early on. As well as running a one-stop strategy, only to end up stuck in a DRS train.
Alpine admitted after the race, the result fell well short of expectations on a high-speed circuit like Montreal, where their A525 was off the pace significantly.
When Gasly was asked what he and Alpine had learned from Montreal, Gasly was honest about his disappointment and how the A525 doesn’t suit Montreal, as he said:
“Well, I think it was quite unfortunate. We had an unfortunate Q1 exit, which put us on the back foot, starting from the pit lane. In a DRS train for 40 laps. So, it was a very frustrating race.
“I think the pace was not too far off to challenge the last few points inside the top 10, but starting from the pit lane obviously was going to be tricky.
“We got some learnings. We knew going to Montreal, it wasn’t going to suit our package too much. And looking at the gaps this year, how tight it is, you can easily swing one way or the other, and we would probably be on the wrong side of it in Montreal.”
Gasly on the A525
Pierre Gasly’s 2025 F1 season has been a mix of high-level competitiveness and struggles, showing occasional promise in the Alpine, but has been paired with inconsistency with the car.
With highlights including P7 in Bahrain and P8 in Spain, along with strong qualifying efforts, such as P5 in Bahrain.
But Gasly’s season has also been riddled by retirements, a disqualification in China, and mid-pack finishes.
During the F1 season, Alpine have had multiple issues with their A525 car, with multiple mechanical issues and an underweight chassis in China.
When asked if the Alpine is a difficult car to “dial in” ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly responded with mixed feelings on the matter.
“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. I wouldn’t say it’s easy.
“At the same time, I think we know our weaknesses and we know our strengths. And at the minute, it’s very much about maximising the strengths. A tenth at the moment can move you three or four positions up and down the grid, and that’s why we’ve got to focus on every single detail we can.
“The focus is going to be there. We know the car we have is going to be the car we love until the end of the year. The focus is on next year, and that’s our weapon and we’ll try to get it in the best position we can every single time.”
