The Imola Grand Prix weekend took an unexpected turn for Pierre Gasly when an encounter with a rabbit led to significant damage to his Alpine A525.
Arriving at Imola with the weight of the team’s only seven points this season, Gasly managed to clock in an impressive third fastest time during Friday’s session. The French driver was showing promising speed, trailing only the McLaren duo. However, this pace turned out to be too much for one particular rabbit trying to cross the track during the first practice session.
Gasly recounted the incident with a touch of dismay, explaining to media outlets that he could not distinguish whether the small creature darting onto the circuit was a cat or a rabbit. Unfortunately for both the rabbit and Gasly’s car, it was confirmed to be a rabbit, and the collision resulted in a broken front wing and further damage to the car’s floor.
“Very sadly,” Gasly shared, “there was – I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t tell if it was a small cat or a big rabbit, and it turned out that it was just a big rabbit jumping across the track. I could not avoid it, so I had quite a big impact on the front wing.” The incident was a tough blow as the team had to work swiftly to repair the car in time for the second practice session, but managed to resolve some of the damage.
Despite dropping to 15th position in Saturday’s final practice, Gasly remained optimistic about qualifying. He believes that if the team can maintain their momentum and tweak the car’s performance slightly, a top ten finish in the qualifiers is within reach. “I think for Q3, yes,” he confidently stated, as he anticipated a competitive edge in the race.
Gasly expressed hope of adding more points to his tally this weekend, illustrating his determination to overcome the setback. His lighthearted remark about the incident being something they all could have done without captured the unexpected nature of racing accidents.
Pierre Gasly’s weekend in Imola was certainly not typical, with an unusual start that didn’t dampen his spirits. Despite the unfortunate incident, Gasly and his team were committed to pushing forward and making the most of the remaining sessions. His resilience and optimistic outlook left fans eager to see how he would fare in the qualifying rounds, maintaining the thrill that comes with Formula 1 racing.
