Breaking news
Formula 1 Bahrain GP
Gasly can't drive "unpredictable" Red Bull how he wants
Red Bull Formula 1 driver Pierre Gasly says he was unable to "drive how I want" in Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying as he continued to struggle with an "unpredictable" RB15.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Edited: Mar 30, 2019, 6:27 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
After a strategy mishap in Australia saw him ruled out in Q1, Gasly endured another torrid qualifying in Bahrain, only just escaping elimination in the first segment before qualifying a lowly 14th.
The Frenchman had been outside of the top 10 in two of the three Bahrain practice sessions as well, and said his car hadn't felt right all weekend.
“I think since the beginning of the weekend, we kind of struggled, especially on my car, with the rear,” Gasly explained. “Tried many many things, but just didn't really improve.
“It's fair to say - especially this weekend, in Melbourne was okay - I don't really feel comfortable, especially with the rear.
“Wheelspinning a lot and quite unpredictable. Didn't really put everything together, and when it's so tight like this, I think we missed out [on Q3] for six hundredths, it cost quite a lot.”
Gasly was the star of last year's Bahrain Grand Prix, finishing fourth for Toro Rosso.
Reflecting on the contrast between his two F1 outings at the Sakhir venue so far, he said: “I would say last year I really felt like I could do what I wanted with the car in Bahrain, and at the moment it just feels like I can't really drive how I want.
“As I say, it's quite unpredictable. Sometimes I turn, nothing happens, next corner I will turn, I will lose the rear. It's just really unpredictable at the moment.
“We tried something in qualifying which didn't really improve it. Probably need a bit more time and look at bit more with the engineers, what we can do to make it a bit more consistent to drive, so at least I can predict what's going to happen.
“Because at the moment it's more this unpredictability which makes it a bit difficult for me.”
Gasly says he had already encountered this problem in pre-season testing, albeit “not to the same extent”, and insists it's evident on the data that his car is “really nervous” getting traction out of the corner.
“Going on power it's just really snappy and really nervous on the rear so makes the rear tyres overheat as well through the lap, increases the degradation as well.
“It's just a combination of things, a bit [of a] snowball effect - the more you slide, the less grip you have.”
Teammate Max Verstappen was four tenths faster in Q2 and went on to qualify fifth.
“I think at the moment Max seems quite a bit happier, probably not perfectly,” Gasly acknowledged. “For me it just feels like it doesn't really do what I want, middle of the corner, and especially on the exits.”
Additional reporting by Adam Cooper
Pierre Gasly, Red Bull Racing RB15
Photo by: Jerry Andre / Sutton Images
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Vettel, Leclerc "need to work as a team" at start in Bahrain
Next article Norris: Vettel "screwed over" Grosjean in penalty incident
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
Mar 13, 2020
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Mar 12, 2020
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General Mar 11, 2020
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
More from
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 d
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
11 d
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
More from
Red Bull Racing
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
Formula 1 1 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Latest news
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 1 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 1 h
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
1 h
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe