Gasly claimed Racing Bulls’ midfield strategy cost Alpine a podium‑eligible position at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Early pace gives hope, then a pit‑stop setback
In the sprint at Zandvoort, the Frenchman set a tidy 11th‑grid start for the feature race, then snatched an eighth‑place finish before the first pit‑stop. The stop dropped him to 11th behind Arvid Lindblad, who had earned a drive‑through penalty for a yellow‑flag infringement. Gasly sat behind the ex‑Racing Bulls car for seven laps before an exploratory overtake at the outside of Turn 11 failed, and Nico Hulkenberg and later Yuki Tsunoda cut between them.
Locked out of the top tier for 17 laps
Gasly endured a 17‑lap battle to overtake Lindblad, who was routinely by the rear of the former Frenchman even after Tsunoda’s superior left‑hand move at Turn 7. The Alpine driver had to wait another ten laps after his second pit‑stop before finally passing the Japanese rider.
Tactics leave Alpine short of points
When the two Racing Bulls teammates finished 11th and 12th, the midfield plan did not help Alpine. Gasly’s 9th place finish included losing four seconds to Fernando Alonso behind the on‑track leadership, and the Tsunoda block prevented a one‑stop Alpine from catching the Aston‑Martin. The strategy, Gasly said, “ruined our race in the middle part […] and played a team game for the championship.”
Arvid Lindblad defends his move
Post‑race, Lindblad remarked he “tried to help the team where I could” and that the decision had been a pragmatic one. He pointed out that his own race was not in contention and thus he could help the championship result.
Constructors’ title race tightens
The battle for fifth place in the constructors’ standings is now a 66‑to‑63 points duel between Racing Bulls and Alpine, with the Dutch GP leaving both teams at arm’s length.
Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images via Getty Images
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