Pierre Gasly experienced a remarkable moment during the second free practice session on Friday afternoon. Indeed, a fire suddenly started just behind the Frenchman's cockpit, forcing the driver to quickly get out of the car to pull himself to safety.
At first glance, there seemed little to worry about. Gasly drove neatly into the pit lane and his team put his car on the trolleys, after which it was supposed to be brought inside safely. During this moment, however, panic ensued.
Indeed, without Gasly seeming to realise it immediately, a lot of fire could be seen behind him. However, an Aston Martin mechanic paid attention and put out the fire with lightning speed, while Gasly jumped out of his car. This will give AlphaTauri the opportunity to quietly look at the problems over the next few hours.
Gasly possibly switching to Alpine
Behind the scenes, rumours are getting louder and louder that Gasly is working on his final season with AlphaTauri. Indeed, the driver is said to be making the switch to Alpine next winter, where he will succeed Fernando Alonso. Nyck de Vries will reportedly replace him at AlphaTauri.