"We know how powerful Russia is" - Pierre Gasly calls for attention towards "unfair fight" between Russia and Ukraine

Pierre Gasly has supported F1’s decision to cancel the Russian Grand Prix, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Gasly says he felt relief at F1’s decision and said that he was personally affected by the events in Ukraine.

Speaking to the media during the third day of testing at Barcelona, the Alpha Tauri driver said:

“[I’m] personally affected, having some people close to me who are in Ukraine right now. To me, it’s [cancelling Russian GP] completely the right one. Especially knowing they are in war, personally I don’t support the actions they are taking right now, so it’s kind of a relief F1 is also supporting and cancelling the grand prix itself.”

Gasly added:

“It’s a very difficult situation and very scary because these people don’t know if they’re going to be able to make it out there and whether they’re going to be able to see their relatives.”

F1 had earlier announced its decision to cancel the Sochi race following high-level meetings yesterday, saying that it was “impossible to go ahead” with the event under current circumstances.

Prior to that, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen had also expressed their concerns about racing in Russia, while the former declared his intention to boycott the event if F1 were to go ahead with its original plans.

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Pierre Gasly’s crash on day 3 ends Alpha Tauri’s testing run earlier than planned

After his smooth sailing runs during the first two days of testing, Pierre Gasly had an off on day 3, leading to his Alpha Tauri AT-03 sustaining substantial damage. As the crash took place earlier in the day, the team frantically tried to repair the damage and rebuild the car, with Yuki Tsunoda patiently waiting for his turn.

But, according to the team’s technical director Jody Egginton, the unfamiliarity of the new car prevented the team from rapidly building it back, essentially curtailing their testing run Both Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda missed out on precious track time later during the day.

Speaking with GP fans after the conclusion of the test, Egginton said:

"It is the first time we have had to rebuild one of these cars in anger, so for the mechanics, it is a learning experience. We were all very familiar with the old cars and by the end of the year, we could turn them around quickly. Now, it takes a bit longer. It is just one of those things. In all honesty, it is within the realms of what can happen when you go testing.”

Alpha Tauri are a team to watch in 2022, with the little Italian team displaying impressive form throughout the first test. It shares much of its design cues and complete rear end with the Red Bull RB18.

Pierre Gasly, targeting a future promotion to the senior team, will be hoping to continue his impressive run into the new season, potentially challenging for podiums on a regular basis.