Pierre Gasly was one of the most underrated drivers in the 2024 Formula 1 season, after contributing the most points to Alpine’s sixth-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship.
Alpine suffered an early setback in pre-season when their car failed crash tests, resulting in a heavier package than their rivals.
The result was a disastrous start to the year with both cars finishing towards the rear of the pack in the opening races, with their only points scored in Miami six races into the season.
Their form picked up midway through the season when they introduced a lighter upgrade package, but it would take until the Brazilian GP just three rounds until the end for them to acheive a breakthrough result.
Alpine found themselves in a ‘dream scenario’ in Brazil, as their double podium propelled them from ninth to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. There was also another stat that Gasly managed to keep up despite the tricky season.
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Flavio Briatore ‘pretty happy’ about Pierre Gasly’s crash damage bill
Alpine’s 2022 and 2023 season was marred by unreliability and unforced errors, but last year Gasly managed to finish every race without incurring any damage.
While the exact figure is unknown, Gasly was the only driver not to cost his team any money in crash damage in 2024. This pleased Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore, according to the Frenchman, when asked about the statistic on the Beyond the Grid podcast by Tom Clarkson.
Clarkson: “So you’re definitely opportunistic, but you also keep your nose clean. And I am fascinated by the stat that you cost the team zero, zero.
Gasly: “Flavio was pretty happy about that one.”
Pierre Gasly attributes impressive record to ‘awareness’ and ‘a bit of luck’
It is an impressive statistic in the cost cap era of F1 where crash damage plays a big role in a teams budget and their ability to bring upgrades to their car.
Mercedes had to miss adding new parts to their car because of crash damage, while Williams also suffered millions in crash damage in Brazil. Gasly believes his impressive record, which has never been seen in F1, down to his awareness on track when fighting other drivers.
“It’s a mix of different characteristics. I think at the end of the day, I always race hard and clean. If I look at last year, there were moments where obviously I came extremely close with some other cars and just trying to find margins in those wheel-to-wheel battles,” said Gasly.
“I always race hard but keeping my car clean, because at the end of the day, you want to see the chequered flag, because if it’s retired then you don’t even get a chance, no matter the performance of the car. I guess there is a sense of awareness and probably a bit of luck as well.”
There are probably other factors in this too, as much of the grid remained the same year-on-year compared to 2023. Drivers are also not pushing 100% any more in races, owing to the complex performance curve of the Pirelli tyres.
