AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly has said his crash with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll at the Spanish Grand Prix was entirely his fault due to an issue with understeer.
The Italian team had some joy at the weekend with Yuki Tsunoda bringing home points on Sunday after a P13 start on the grid.
The Japanese driver came home in tenth after a scorching Grand Prix at the Barcelona circuit, after a “super tough” drive for the 22-year-old.
“That was a super-tough race,” he said speaking after the race.
“It was so hot in the car today and then we were in a constant battle to make it into the points, so the pressure was there.
“I’m quite happy with my performance today and where we finished in the race.”
Meanwhile, the hope of a double-points finish was hampered after Gasly made contact with Stroll well into the race – damaging his car, and leaving him with low downforce while trying to control the car “sliding” around.
Despite the disappointing outcome for the Frenchman, he spoke to reporters after the race and said: “We tried our best.”
The incident also provoked action by the stewards, who opted to hand Gasly a five-second time penalty for the clash which occurred as Stroll attempted an overtake.
In a statement, they said: “The Stewards reviewed the video evidence. Stroll was fully alongside on the outside of Gasly from turn-in to the apex, and gave Gasly sufficient room.
“Gasly understeered into Stroll and the Stewards found him wholly at fault for the collision, although the collision was more due to a lack of grip.”
Speaking about the incident, the AlphaTauri driver said: “I tried to defend as hard as I could.
“I take responsibility for the incident, it was just unfortunate to be fighting at the back for these positions.”
The team has just days left in their preparations to claw back some points as everyone heads to Monaco for the seventh race of the season.
