Pierre Gasly has said that the rules are not fair after Lance Stroll was not ordered to return a position at the British Grand Prix, as both Alpines failed to finish the race.
Gasly defended the inside at Stowe corner and Stroll attempted to go around the outside, but did not complete the overtake by staying on track.
Despite the rule traditionally being that a driver cannot keep a position they gained by going off track, the stewards decided there would be no further investigation into the incident leaving the Frenchman frustrated.
“If you go off the race track, you’ve got to give the position back,” Gasly said to the media. “It’s as simple as that.
“That’s how I’ve been taught racing and I’ve paid the price in different situations. It’s just not fair, not having that consistency.
“I just can’t understand, it doesn’t seem fair.”
Gasly and Stroll in the wars
Stroll and Gasly would later collide in the Vale chicane. The Alpine driver made sure to close the door on the inside of the entry, but Stroll decided to cut the corner and collided with his rival in an incident similar to Sergio Perez‘s move on Charles Leclerc 12 months earlier.
The damage caused Gasly to retire from the race after he was in contention to score points with Alpine and Stroll was given a five-second time penalty for the incident.
The French driver was battling with Fernando Alonso in the early stages of the race, but could not get close enough to maximise the DRS to launch a move on the Aston Martin.
Upon the safety car bunching the field together, Gasly then managed to attack Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, before latter succumbing in his duel against Stroll.
Gasly now drops below Oscar Piastri in the Driver’s Championship, after the Australian finished fourth – an F1 career-best finish for the rookie.
His teammate, Lando Norris, secured his first podium of 2023 as McLaren leapfrogged Alpine in the standings.
