Pierre Gasly Or Rookie Guanyu Zhou- Who Is to Blame for the First Lap Debacle of Imola F1 Sprint?

Imola delivered its first-ever Formula 1 Sprint event earlier on Saturday, and it turned out to be quite the spectacle. Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc battled each other all the way to the checkered flag. However, before the two F1 title contenders stole the limelight, there was rather a controversial incident that bloomed out between Pierre Gasly and rookie Guanyu Zhou.

On the very first lap of the sprint, the two mid-field drivers came together around Piratella. This took Zhou out of the race as his Alfa Romeo suffered terminal damage. Of course, the stewards noted the incident and eventually launched an investigation into the same as well.

The end result turned out to be rather disappointing, as they declared it as a mere ‘racing incident’. This subsequently sparked a debate on whether the decision was fair enough.

Who caused the Gasly-Zhou F1 incident?

Let’s take a look at the crash again! Gasly was sticking to the racing line as he braked his way into the left-handed Piratella. However, Zhou seemingly had a much better grip, which helped him attempt a move on the Frenchman around the outside of the corner.

At one point, the two drivers were almost side-by-side when Gasly’s front-right tire clipped the side pod of the Alfa Romeo. And that minor tap was all that was needed for Zhou to watch his car slide its way into the barriers. Now, it would be criminal to say that Zhou did not leave enough space for Gasly.

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Gasly, on the other hand, looked as if he was driving on ice with the poor rear. Hence, when the duo collided, the initial replays suggested that the blame would fall on Gasly. But, again, the stewards had other ideas, as their verdict yet again managed to shock the F1 world.

Pierre Gasly blames Zhou for the incident

Following the collision, Gasly quickly took to the team radio to point out that Zhou had failed to offer him enough room. “What the f*ck? He can’t stay there,” he yelled.

Furthermore, during the post-Sprint interview, he continued to stand by his radio message. “This weekend is not going the way we wanted. Zhou didn’t give me much space, it’s not a great place to be side-by-side, and unfortunately, there was contact, but that’s just the way it is sometimes. After that, the car suffered some damage and it wasn’t easy.” he added.

Overall, it was a tough end to the sprint for Gasly, who had to limp his way to the finishing line. But can the Frenchman seek his much-yearned redemption on Sunday despite having to start from the second-last row of the grid?