‘He just dive-bombed me’ - How Gasly-Alonso F1 clash led to Norris DNF

Pierre Gasly has explained how damage picked up in his clash with Fernando Alonso contributed to a later collision with Lando Norris during F1’s inaugural Miami Grand Prix. 
Pierre Gasly (FRA) AlphaTauri AT03. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Race
Pierre Gasly (FRA) AlphaTauri AT03. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand Prix,…

Alonso attempted to dive up the🔯 inside of Gasly at Turn 1 as the pair battle over ninth place on Lap 39🎃, but the lunge resulted in contact that ultimately ruined both driver’s afternoons. 

Gasly made his feelingꦅs clꦦear that Alonso was to blame for the incident. 

“Fernando just dive-bombed int🍸o me, crashed into me and broke📖 the rear right corner,” Gasly said after the race. 

“He came to apol꧂ogise, but unfortunately it’s not going to give us back the points and ♉it’s a big shame. 

“I’m disappointed because it was a great afternoon. We had a br𓂃illiant start 🐻passing Lewis [Hamilton] into Turn 1, running in P7 after that and we would have had a great battle with Fernando but he just took it a step too far and unfortunately it ruined our race.”

Pierre Gasly (FRA) AlphaTauri on the grid. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Race
Pierre Gasly (FRA) AlphaTauri on the grid. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand…

Meanwhile, Alonso, who pi🦂cked up a five-secoꦏnd time penalty that cost him a points finish, conceded he was in the wrong for the coming together. 

“⭕I closed the gap, and was very optimistic on the move with him,” the two-time world champion said. 

“I touched wit꧋h Gasly again, got a penalty of five seconds. I dese꧙rved it. I braked too late. We were ready to give back the position but he was in the pits at that time, so I had to pay those five seconds.

“It was my mistake, it happens to me sometimes. Mick [Schumacher] spun in Imolꦅa and destroyed my race. Today, 𒁏I destroyed Pierre’s race so it was my mistake.

“I feel sorry for him because I know 🃏how he feels and it was not his fault.”

Dramatic Gasly and Norris clash brings out Safety Car 

Gasly went on to make contact with Norris after r𓆏e-emerging onto the track siꦉde-by-side with the McLaren driver after a wide moment at Turn 7. 

Tওhe pair tagged wheels with dramatic consequences. Norris was pitched into a violent spin into the barriers, forcing him to retire on the spot after his right-rear Pജirelli was pulled off the rim. 

Gasly explained that he had be💜en tr♊ying to continue in the race but said the damage picked up in his earlier collision with Alonso had affected his steering. 

“We did one more lap to see ♔if we could continu✃e and the car was too damaged,” Gasly said. 

“I couldn’t stay on track, couldn’t turn left anymore. I was going slow after Turn 7. All the cars passed, I was trying to turn right to give room and then Norris came and clipped my front left ty🔯re.

“I 🦄was so slow, I was just trying to squeeze the car as much to the right as I could. In Turn 8 I was turning right and he came and everything went quite fast, but I was tryဣing to give room to everyone and he came and came close to me and clipped the front left.”

Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand Prix, Miami, Florida, USA, Qualifying Day.-
Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 5, Miami Grand Prix, Miami,…

Norris initially suspected that Gasly had not been completely aware that he was♏ approaching to his left. 

“He went off the track, had a lot of damaওge, from my opinion he just drift🏅ed over to the left quite a bit, the track is kinking to the right, he wasn’t turning to the right,” said Norris.

“If he was🧸 going to box, then he should be getting out of my way a lot more than he did. I💧t’s tough.

“If he was struggling to control the𝔍 car, it’s life, I’m unlucky. It happens in racing sometimes. If it wasn’🃏t that bad, he shouldn’t be drifting on track like he was doing.

“It looked like he was looking in his right mirror and wasn’t looking where I was on his left. I’m not 🐟sure, I don’t want to blame him, I’ll speak to him and see what he says.”

But Gasly ultimately f𒐪elt🐻 there was no reason to apologise to Norris. 

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” the Frenchman r♛eplied when asked if he would offer an apology. 

“I was trying to give room. He could have probably gone to the left. Iꦯ was turning right.

“You guys can c✤heck the onboards, I don’t know where I could have gone and I wasꦬ slow obviously just trying to get back to the pits.

“Unfortunate🐽 for him because that’s not the way you want to finish the race, but obviously it all started with Alonso crashing into us and breaking our c✱ar.”

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