For the Qatar Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly found himself on the first front-row start of his career – P2. Gasly, who had initially qualified P4, jumped up two places because of grid penalties to Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas. The course was set for Gasly. But then, Red Bull intervened, again.

Despite his history with Red Bull and his impressive run of form with Alpha Tauri, Pierre Gasly seemingly gave up his track position for Max Verstappen quite early in the race. In only the fourth lap, a charging Max Verstappen was on a quest to catch the uncatchable Lewis Hamilton. But he found himself behind his former teammate.

“A little bit stuck here,” Verstappen said on his radio.

So, Gasly ‘suddenly’ suffered a lack of pace. This made Max Verstappen pass through him with such ease as if he was Lewis Hamilton in Brazil.

Later, upon close observation in a video, it can be seen that Pierre Gasly left his DRS flap closed, which gave Max Verstappen an easy opportunity to pass.

This led to many wondering whether the Frenchman’s generosity towards the Red Bull driver had an external influence. And as it turned out, it was the case. Gasly was instructed on the radio to “let him by”. 

In the end, Gasly finished in P11. This was far from the result he would’ve wanted or could’ve gotten after qualifying P4.

Pierre Gasly is showing his growth this season

Gasly has finished 13 times inside the points this season. This includes finishing thrice in the Top 5 along with a third-place podium in Baku. In the last three races, Gasly has qualified P4, P5 and P4.

Although he’s currently 9th in the driver’s championship, Gasly has been key in his team’s fight for fifth in the constructor’s championship.

Now, with two races left in the season, Gasly will look to shake off the result from Qatar. Alpha Tauri will know that Gasly’s performances could be key to the highest finish in their history.

But Pierre Gasly would also know that by assisting Red Bull in potentially the biggest season of their history, he could come away with something more than a pat on the back.

Also Read: Former F1 Champions Have a Grim Prediction for Pierre Gasly – ‘Don’t See Him Back’