Honda engine keeps Gasly in the pits: 'They didn't want to take any risks'

The day started so well for Pierre Gasly. In the morning session the Frenchman was second to Max Verstappen by just over two tenths, but he had to miss out on the second free practice session due to Honda engine problems.

Positive start to the weekend

The speed of the AlphaTauri seems to be fine, Gasly stated. "This morning was great," he says in a press release. "The speed and performance of the car was strong and everything went well, so it was really a positive session for the start of the weekend." Gasly's teammate Yuki Tsunoda also did well in FP1, setting the fifth fastest time just under half a second from Verstappen.

Problems with the Honda engine

During FP2, however, Gasly was out of action. "Unfortunately the team discovered a problem with the engine and they didn't want to take any risks, so we spent the afternoon checking this," he said. It was a shame for the Frenchman, because in the afternoon session the team wanted to try out some things. "It's a shame we couldn't do that, but in the end there's nothing we can do about it and we just have to look forward to tomorrow now."

For Tsunoda, the second free practice also went a lot less well. "Yuki didn't feel as comfortable in the car this afternoon as he did in FP1, so we need to start analysing all the data we have for tomorrow, then we can put everything together for qualifying." The Japanese driver eventually finished fifteenth in the afternoon session.