Pierre Gasly calls for solutions to Austrian Grand Prix track limits 'chaos'

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has echoed his fellow Formula 1 drivers, emphasizing the urgent need for resolving the track limits debacle at the Austrian Grand Prix.

During the Qualifying session, a staggering 43 laps were nullified. The situation worsened during the actual race, with over 80 laps being invalidated due to track limits violations, a fact later acknowledged by the FIA, who reported more than 1,000 instances of such infringements.

Seven drivers were penalized during the race for exceeding track limits, and an additional 12 penalties were handed out afterwards. Consequently, the final results were not confirmed until four hours after the checkered flag.

Gasly, having received a time penalty, dropping him from ninth to tenth position, suggested that a more sensible application of the rules would offer a better solution.

"The answer needs to be properly thought through," Gasly said. "As drivers, we consistently seek consistency, but in certain situations, a case-specific and track-specific approach would be more appropriate, as seen this weekend."

Furthermore, Gasly shared an anecdote about his grandmother struggling to comprehend the confusing scenes during Qualifying, as lap times were rapidly deleted.

"Deleting 43 lap times in Qualifying just doesn't sit right, and my grandmother, watching in front of the TV, couldn't make sense of it. She was like, 'What the hell is actually going on?'" Gasly remarked.

"Within seconds, Lewis [Hamilton] went from P1 to P18. It simply feels unjust."

Looking ahead, Gasly expressed optimism about the upcoming Silverstone race, anticipating improvements. However, he emphasized the crucial need to thoroughly review and enhance the current system.

"The Silverstone Circuit will hopefully bring better conditions, but it is imperative to reassess how we can rectify this situation," Gasly concluded.

Save the date: Sunday, 9 July, for an exciting British Grand Prix at the Silverstone Circuit.