Gasly: Avoiding Verstappen Spin Cost Me Six Places in Miami

Pierre Gasly believes his strong start in the Miami Grand Prix was undone by having to avoid a spinning Max Verstappen on the opening lap, costing him up to six positions. The Alpine driver's race was then ended later by a collision with Liam Lawson, compounding a frustrating weekend.

Why it matters:

The incident highlights how a single chaotic moment at the start of a race can define a driver's entire Sunday, regardless of their car's potential pace. For Gasly and Alpine, who are fighting for crucial championship points in the midfield, these lost opportunities can be the difference between a successful and a wasted race weekend.

The details:

• Starting from P9, Gasly made an excellent launch and was running around sixth or seventh place exiting Turn 1.
• He was then confronted with the sight of Verstappen's slow-moving Red Bull, which had spun and was planted in the middle of the track.
• With Lewis Hamilton on his right and George Russell on his left, Gasly's only option was to slam on the brakes, causing him to be "swallowed by the whole bunch of cars behind" and plummet down the order.
• Reflecting on the Lawson incident that ultimately ended his race, Gasly stated he left "a car and a half" of space on the inside but called his own move "too optimistic." The stewards later attributed the crash to a gearbox failure on Lawson's car.

What's next:

For Gasly, it's a case of moving on from a race where potential points were lost through no direct fault of his own in the opening corners. The focus for Alpine will shift to unlocking more consistent qualifying and race pace to ensure they are in a position to capitalize on any chaos ahead, rather than being ensnared by it.