Pierre Gasly reveals how he nullified Max Verstappen during intense Suzuka battle

Follow us on Google Discover

Alpine star Pierre Gasly has revealed how he managed to keep Max Verstappen behind him during a dramatic tussle at the Japanese Grand Prix. 

Last month, Gasly finished seventh at the Japanese Grand Prix around the iconic Suzuka circuit, with Kimi Antonelli winning ahead of Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. 

During the race, Frenchman Gasly was locked in a tense fight with former Red Bull teammate Verstappen as the pair battled to finish at the top of the midfield.

Verstappen did manage to get past Gasly at one point, but the Alpine driver dug deep to regain P7, which earned him six points, putting him eighth in the overall standings.

Lando Norris thinks it would be a “shame” if Max Verstappen leaves F1 – Can anyone push rival F1 drivers to reach new heights like Verstappen does?

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

Pierre Gasly explains how he managed to keep Max Verstappen behind in Japan

Speaking recently to French news outlet L’Equipe, Gasly revealed how he was able to keep Verstappen behind. 

The 30-year-old admitted that ‘a lot of things’ were in his head as he dealt with Verstappen and information directed at him from Alpine.

Gasly said: “At that moment, a lot of things were going through my head. I had to understand how he was managing his battery, and my team was giving me a lot of information about him.

“For example, I was told he’d been asked to attack me in the last chicane, so I tried to conserve a little energy in the previous corner, recharging my battery a bit more to be ready to defend in the chicane.”

Which current F1 driver do you think would make the BEST team principal?

Alonso, Russell, Sainz, or someone else? Let us know in the comments below!

Comment

Like or Comment

Have your say Sign-in now for free

READ MORE: Helmut Marko recalls his first impression of Max Verstappen, ‘I remember that fierce determination’

Pierre Gasly says Alpine has a good package for 2026

After a tough 2025, Alpine have produced a much-improved car for 2026, they are currently fifth in the world championship, having scored 16 points from three races.

Looking ahead, Gasly is hopeful that Alpine can continue to fight with their closest rivals.

He said in Japan: “I’ll be at the factory in the coming weeks but hopefully it brings a good motivation to everybody.

“We clearly have a good package, and I’m glad we managed to get a good [result] at all three tracks that are very different.

“I think it definitely brings some good optimism for the rest of the year and as I said, the gap to the guys ahead is too big to fight, but it is not too big to make it impossible.

“So [it is] important we keep working on it and I’m looking forward to the next few race weekends.”