£4m-a-year star now the only driver on the F1 grid yet to cause any crash damage this season

Follow us on Google Discover

Formula 1 is an expensive pastime and even the smallest mistake could end up costing a team millions of pounds.

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was the perfect example of what can go wrong in treacherous conditions.

After five red flags in qualifying, several drivers failed to keep their cars on the track while Max Verstappen highlighted why he’s about to become a four-time F1 world champion.

Williams suffered millions in crash damage in Brazil, following Franco Colapinto’s two crashes in qualifying and the race itself, while Alex Albon suffered too much damage during Q3 to take part in the race.

Mercedes have missed on adding new parts to their cars due to crashes their drivers have had during the second half of the season, highlighting how compromising the cost cap can be for teams.

However, a report from Autosprint has shared that one driver has avoided costing his team a penny after 21 race weekends.

Alpine are riding high right now after their best result in years in Brazil.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly both finished on the podium to earn the French manufacturer their biggest points haul of the season.

Flavio Briatore hailed the prize money Alpine could earn from that result if they remain in sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

He’ll also be pleased that at this stage in the season, the £4m-a-year Frenchman Gasly has yet to cost the team any money due to crashes throughout the campaign.

Pierre Gasly yet to cost Alpine any money due to crash damage during 2024 F1 season

It’s not been the most straightforward year for Gasly and Alpine.

After leaving the Red Bull family at the end of 2022, Gasly scored four more points than new teammate Ocon in his first season with the French team.

However, they had slipped from 4th to 6th in the team standings and each driver achieved just a single Grand Prix podium.

Things were looking even worse for Alpine this year, as they sat 9th in the championship before their miraculous result in Brazil.

READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Ocon is still one of the best-performing drivers when it comes to not causing too much crash damage.

His figure is said to be between $125,000 [£99,000] and $1.5m [£1.19m], however, Gasly is on a different level to his rivals.

For context, Sergio Perez has caused the most damage over the course of the season, with the figure sitting at approximately £3.8m.

He’s the only driver who doesn’t feature on the list, with even the likes of Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman and Franco Colapinto who have only taken part in a small portion of the season racking up some costly damage.

Alpine looking forward to 2025 and beyond with a new driver pairing

Gasly has the tricky Las Vegas street circuit to negotiate before the final two races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi before he can claim to go an entire season without crashing.

However, his team would much rather he found a way to secure the millions in additional prize money that comes with finishing 6th in the Constructors’ Championship, rather than driving conservatively.

Ocon and Gasly’s partnership will come to an end when the chequered flag flies in Abu Dhabi.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Instead, Gasly will be joined by rookie Jack Doohan as he makes the step up to Formula 1 following his stint as Alpine’s reserve and test driver.

Gasly has been helping assess Doohan as he’s suddenly come under some pressure before even taking part in his first Grand Prix.

Alpine are interested in Franco Colapinto and if he continues to prove himself during the final triple-header of the season, the team may suddenly have a very difficult decision to make.