Gasly Faces Pit Lane Start at Italian GP After Parc Fermé Breach

Pierre Gasly is highly likely to start the Italian Grand Prix from the pit lane, a significant blow to his race prospects. This comes after his Alpine car was referred to the stewards following qualifying at Monza.

Why it matters

Gasly's potential pit lane start will severely compromise his race, forcing him to fight through the field from the very back. This development adds another layer of challenge for Alpine, which saw a double Q1 exit in qualifying, with Gasly finishing 19th.

The details

• Parc Fermé Violation: FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer highlighted that Alpine failed to cover Gasly's car within two hours of the chequered flag in qualifying. This breaches Article 40.6 of the sporting regulations, which mandates all cars "must be covered and ready for FIA seals to be applied" within this timeframe.
• Component Changes Suspected: Such a breach often indicates that teams are performing component changes under parc fermé conditions, which typically results in a pit lane start penalty.
• Previous Precedent: Haas faced a similar infringement at Zandvoort last weekend after carrying out a power unit change, resulting in a pit lane start for their driver.
• Another Driver Affected: Gasly is not alone; Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar also confirmed after qualifying that he would likely undergo a power unit change, leading to his own pit lane start.

What's next

Both Pierre Gasly and Isack Hadjar will face an uphill battle starting from the pit lane. Their teams will need to devise aggressive strategies, hoping for safety car periods or other race incidents to help them gain positions in what promises to be a challenging Italian Grand Prix.