Mexico – French Performance: Gasly Saves Honor with One Point
Despite starting in the last position on the grid with his Toro Rosso, Pierre Gasly was the only Frenchman to score points this Sunday in Mexico. Romain Grosjean, finishing last, and Esteban Ocon, who was erratic, did not have any success.
Pierre Gasly: 10th (20th on the grid)
The Toro Rosso driver waited for the second part of the race to reach the points zone and thus salvage a weekend that seemed to be going very poorly after the complete change of his Honda power unit.
A hard-earned point that brought a smile to the Frenchman after the race: « It’s great to finish in the points! With our penalties, we started 20th, so it was a long way to come back into the Top 10, but we finally made it. It’s good for everyone in the team, especially after the last few rather difficult races. I felt good with the car and had some nice battles. I think we really did our best given it wasn’t an easy race. Tire management was key, so we had to be smart and attack at the right time. » the Frenchman said after the race.
GOT HIM! @PierreGASLY passes Ocon for P12 👊 #MexicoGP 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/gie6MhZbGF
— Toro Rosso (@ToroRosso) 28 octobre 2018
Esteban Ocon: 11th (11th on the grid)
Failing to reach the points, Esteban Ocon did not have an easy race. After a forced pit stop at the end of the first lap following a collision with Carlos Sainz’s Renault, the Frenchman could not climb back into the points zone.
Disappointed upon arrival, he preferred to write off this Sunday to focus on the next race in Brazil in fifteen days: « This has probably been the worst race of my F1 career so far. We achieved nothing and it’s a terrible afternoon. I had a very good start, I managed to overtake both Saubers, but that’s really the only positive point to remember today. I went alongside Carlos [Sainz] at the third corner, but I saw that it was going to tighten. I braked to avoid a collision, but we still touched and it broke my front wing. I came into the pits at the end of the first lap and my race was over. It’s a shame because we had a good strategy and a fast car, but it was not our day. Let’s forget this race and come back stronger in Brazil. »
LAP 54/71: Bit of argy-bargy going on between Ocon and Gasly as they battle for 12th – Gasly ain’t happy at being pushed off track 😠 #MexicoGP 🇲🇽 #F1 pic.twitter.com/YxqmQSzM03
— Formula 1 (@F1) 28 octobre 2018
Romain Grosjean: 16th (18th on the grid)
After unremarkable qualifying sessions and a 3-place penalty following his collision during the race in the United States, Romain Grosjean finished the race in last place, three laps behind the winner, Max Verstappen.
The Rodriguez brothers’ circuit definitely does not suit the Ferrari-powered Haas: « It was a very difficult day. We did not get what we were expecting on the Ultra Softs. On the Super Softs, we did our best to last as long as possible. We extracted the maximum lifespan from the tire. But we had problems we did not expect. There was a lot of degradation at the rear. Just a difficult day. » the Frenchman concluded.
The good news? There are ✌️ races left to give it everything we have. #MexicoGP recap: https://t.co/2lapi8z1vb pic.twitter.com/VmybrdDbOA
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) 28 octobre 2018
