Gasly two points away from race ban after Mexico

Pierre Gasly is two penalty points away from a race ban after he was again in trouble with the stewards during the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The Frenchman was penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage when overtaking Lance Stroll into Turn 4, locking up and running wide, meaning both drivers went off track. Gasly gained the position and stayed ahead, being given a 5s time penalty in the race and then a penalty point for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, rather than two penalty points for forcing another driver off track.

That leaves Gasly with 10 penalty points for the 12 month period, and two more will automatically trigger a one-race ban. Gasly’s first points expire in May 2023, as he picked up a penalty in this year’s Spanish Grand Prix for causing a collision with Stroll.

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The Frenchman has also picked up penalty points in three consecutive races, being handed two for speeding under red flag conditions in Japan and two more for dropping 10 car lengths behind the safety car at COTA.

“I’m a racing driver -- if I see a gap, I go for a gap,” Gasly said afterwards. “If you are not happy about it then tell me to give the position back and I’ll try again. I wasn’t given any comments, so that’s a shame. Of course (I considered giving it back), so just need to say it on the radio. That’s what they’ve done in the past, but for some reason not this time.

“We ended up 4s short of P9, so without the penalty we know what was on the table," he explained. "It’s a shame it’s the same story. Last weekend we came P11 with the penalty. It’s just a shame to be involved in these incidents. I’ll have to change my approach because every weekend it seems to be quite the same story so I’ll have to change something.”