"You wonder how they got there": Pierre Gasly expresses concern over interference from F1 fans in the paddock

Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly recently expressed concern over the sheer volume of fans inside the F1 paddock on race weekends.

Since the explosion of Netflix's F1 docuseries 'Drive To Survive', the popularity of the sport has skyrocketed and has brought new fans from across the globe. The race weekends are regularly seeing around 500,000 fans flocking the circuits to watch their favorite drivers and teams in some of the most iconic venues.

However, due to this fact, it has become difficult for drivers and team personnel to move within the paddock as they are surrounded by fans every time they leave their hospitality areas.

Speaking with Motorsport.com, Pierre Gasly claimed that hospitality areas and the paddock were their 'workplaces' and a large crowd can become a hindrance from time to time. He said:

"I love fans, and I always love to stop by and give some time. But then it's obviously our work environment. Sometimes it's a bit tricky to get around and make sure that we are on time for the commitments that we got because it's minute by minute, and it's clearly one of the busiest pitlanes."

He added:

"It's very enjoyable, but sometimes it's even people knocking at the door inside the hospitality, you wonder how they got there. So [people need to] give the space we need to work properly."

---

Pierre Gasly on Lewis Hamilton's impact on younger drivers

Pierre Gasly has praised Lewis Hamilton for his impact on younger drivers, saying that the seven-time world champion has opened the doors for others and has made F1 very accessible in the USA.

Speaking with Sky Sports, Pierre Gasly said:

"It’s important to say that without him, things would be different these day. I think Lewis opened a lot of doors for all of us. The mentality has changed slightly, especially if you look to other sports, NBA in the States it’s very different I think people have a lot more space to express themselves."

"Actually I get on very well with Lewis, I often thank him for sticking to his values and to himself all these years because now it’s definitely made the path slightly smoother for us young drivers."

Although it is nice to see that F1 drivers are getting the fanfare across the globe, Pierre Gasly and several other drivers have rightly asked the sport to limit the fans in the paddock as it does cause problems in terms of movement for personnel.