F1: Gasly can’t believe what happened to him at the Monza race

Gasly praised his team (Photo: AFP)

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After the countdown, Pierre Gasly was understandably the happiest, a bird could have been caught with the 24-year-old Frenchman as he won the first race of his career in the motorsports category.

“It is incredible, sensational, what we have achieved, I cannot believe it. Such a crazy race like this … When the race was interrupted by the red flag, we felt we were in a good position, but there were very fast cars behind me. For the last year and a half, I have been on a huge emotional roller coaster with the team. I was able to thank you for my first podium and now my first victory, so I owe a big thank you to everyone at AlphaTaur and Honda as well. It’s amazing that since Olivier Panis won Monaco in 1996, I am the first F1 Frenchman to win. I entered Formula One with the desire to change that, but I didn’t think it was going to happen right now at Monza. I can’t tell you how happy I am right now, “Gasly enthused after the win.

Had Carlos Sainz been able to overtake Pierre Gasly at the end, he could have celebrated his first win now, but he still has to wait.

“The safety car went badly for me, but I ended up climbing from sixth to second, but in the meantime I fell behind Gasly and when I caught up behind him, I didn’t have enough time to pass. First place was close, so I’m disappointed that it was only second place, even though I wouldn’t have expected him to fight for victory in the first outing, ”said Sainz, who finished second.

The third step on the podium was taken by Canadian Racing Point racing Lance Stroll, who for the last time, for the only time so far, finished third in the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, meaning that he has now established his best result in F1 to date.

“It was a long time ago that I was standing on the podium for the last time, so it feels good to be back. I was happy with a race and I am very happy with Pierre’s success, he really deserved it, he started very well and maintained a good performance throughout the race. As for me, I think I lost this race. After the second outing, I had no grip, my wheels kept turning and everyone passed me. After that though, I managed to fight a good battle with Carlos for second place, but in the end third place became mine, ”Stroll said.

Fourth-placed Lando Norris (McLaren), on the other hand, feels a stupid rule has stolen another podium.

“Stroll can only be on the podium because of a stupid rule because he got a free wheel change for the red flag interruption that he didn’t deserve. Regardless, I am very proud of my fourth place. The team did a fantastic job today, congratulating Carlos for second place and Pierre for the victory, ”said Norris, then returned to the red flag.

“It just came to our attention then. Today we saw two examples: here is Pierre Gasly, who came out of the box to change a wheel shortly before the safety car arrived, then came the red one. He was lucky, he was able to get ahead. That’s fair. But there is Lance Stroll, who was not in the box to change a wheel, he only received a gift for 24 seconds. Regardless, he would still have to stand in the box to change a wheel once, because that way he didn’t have a mandatory boxing position, “Norris said after the race.

One of the key moments of the race was when Lewis Hamilton received a 10-second stop & go penalty before the restart, which brought the defending World Cup champion to the end of the field, giving the midfield members a place to fight for victory. In this regard, Toto Wolff, the leader of the Mercedes team, admitted sportily that the punishment was not good for them as a team, but it was good for the sport.

“Today’s race is a clear defeat for us, but a victory for the sport because the race provided excellent fun for outsiders. It was good to see the youngsters fight while Sainz chased Gasly and while Stroll fought. They all deserved the podium, it was a refreshing sight to see them there. Alpha Tauri is doing well here, and Gasly’s success deserves it. The race was quite nice, F1 certainly did well, ”said Wolff, who also outlined the background to the decision that led to Hamilton’s penalty.

“The combination of a series of strange events led to the punishment. Magnussen’s car was parked in front of the pit lane entrance, causing a yellow flag to be waved. A few seconds later the safety car was dispatched, which was also weird because the car was parked in an opening, it could have easily been pushed or thrown into a virtual safety car. However, when the safety car hit the track, the pit lane was also immediately closed, but we didn’t know this because we were concentrating on Lewis’s stands. He also couldn’t see the signal from his car because the car was parked there and it was already getting into the box. At the last minute, one of the engineers saw at the last minute that the pit lane was closed, but by then it was too late. We received the penalty, there is nothing to do, “Wolff told the sport’s official website.