Gasly’s Practice Crash and Alpine’s Response
During Free Practice 2 ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly experienced a significant crash, leading to a red flag. The incident occurred with just over 15 minutes remaining in the session on Friday. Gasly lost control of his car on the exit of the left-hand Turn 13, also known as the Fagnes chicane, in the middle sector of the circuit. His car slid through the gravel before making heavy contact with the barrier, which resulted in the rear wing being torn off his Alpine A526 and caused extensive damage to the vehicle.
Despite the severity of the crash, Gasly was able to walk away from the accident. He later commented on the incident, stating that he had a “big snap” and lost the car, noting that it took a considerable amount of time to regain control, by which point he was already off the track. Gasly acknowledged that it was “not the end of the day we wanted,” but expressed confidence that the team would prepare the car for the following day’s session, with a focus on aiming for a top 10 position.
Steve Nielsen, Alpine’s Managing Director, provided an update on the car’s condition and the team’s plans. He confirmed that Gasly was unharmed, but the car sustained damage. Nielsen explained that the team had already planned to change the power unit on Gasly’s car that night, meaning a portion of the repair work was already scheduled. He assured that the team would be ready for Saturday’s activities, despite the extensive list of tasks for the mechanics.
Nielsen also mentioned that the morning session was primarily focused on gathering data rather than achieving fast lap times, with the afternoon session shifting attention towards lap times. He noted that Gasly had set a competitive time that was unfortunately deleted due to track limits at Turn 4. Nielsen indicated that the car appeared to have more pace at Spa-Francorchamps compared to recent races, and the team’s objective was to maintain that performance.
Performance and Challenges for Other Teams
While Gasly’s incident drew attention, other drivers also faced challenges and achieved notable performances during the practice sessions. Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli recorded the fastest time in FP2, demonstrating a significant improvement from his performance in FP1 where he was sixth fastest. Antonelli’s quick lap put him 0.190 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris, who secured second place. Antonelli’s long-run pace also appeared strong, with an average of 0.3 seconds quicker than Norris and 0.4 seconds faster than his teammate George Russell.
Russell, on the other hand, struggled with the car’s performance, finishing 1.285 seconds behind Antonelli in FP2. He reported issues with cold rear tyres and excessive sliding. Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, acknowledged that the team had a “messy first session” but made significant adjustments to the car for the afternoon. Shovlin noted that Russell’s slower lap was due to a single lap not going well and issues with tyre preparation.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull topped FP1 and finished third fastest in FP2. Verstappen described his car as being in a “good window” and acknowledged the energy management challenges of the circuit. He noted that Red Bull seemed slightly slower on the straights compared to some competitors but found the balance of the car acceptable. Red Bull is also working on a fix for its rear wing, which has caused issues in previous races, and hopes to have a revised version ready for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was 0.747 seconds off the pace, with the team grappling with the traditional Spa compromise of balancing straight-line speed with downforce for cornering. Hamilton expressed his enjoyment of driving through the corners but highlighted issues with the engine losing power on the straights. He suggested that the team would conduct a thorough analysis to improve performance in the middle sector without compromising straight-line speed.
Notable Performances and Penalties
Among other teams, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto delivered a surprising performance in FP2, securing seventh place, ahead of Russell. Colapinto was 0.15 seconds faster than the quickest Racing Bull and maintained a six-tenths gap to the next best midfielder, Haas’s Ollie Bearman. Colapinto also outperformed his teammate Gasly in both practice sessions. He attributed his improved pace to cooler conditions and the lower-speed corners at Spa-Francorchamps.
Haas also showed a decent performance, with Bearman reporting that the car “felt strong” on Friday. The team tested a new front wing, which Bearman indicated provided a slight improvement, although he conceded that Haas was still some distance behind teams like Racing Bulls and Alpine. Esteban Ocon, also from Haas, was less than two-tenths behind Bearman in FP2.
Several drivers are facing grid penalties for the weekend. Norris is among those who have exceeded their permitted number of batteries. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, who was fifth fastest overall, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll are also facing penalties. Racing Bulls introduced an upgrade on Arvid Lindblad’s car for the weekend, with the next upgrade expected for Liam Lawson later in the year.
The 71st Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps continues to present challenges, particularly with energy harvesting strategies, as teams prepare for the upcoming sessions.
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Source: formula1.com
