Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly was just pleased to make it to the end of the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, having endured a difficult weekend filled with technical problems.
The young Frenchman barely got any track time across the whole of the race weekend, with no running at all possible in qualifying on Saturday, after an engine blow out during final practice saw him forced to sit out the action.
That disaster came after his Friday running was also curtailed, having forgone Free Practice 1 to allow reserve driver Sean Gelael some running, before engine issues halted his track time in Free Practice 2, resulting in the 21-year-old completing just twelve laps prior to race day.
Grid penalties for engine element changes also saw Gasly start firmly towards the back end of the grid, to really welcome the rookie into Formula 1 racing in Mexico!
Despite all the issues however, Gasly was able to bring the car home in thirteenth place, and finally gain some valuable experience behind the wheel of the STR12 this weekend.
“It was good to finally drive on this track after a very tough weekend where I completed very few laps before today!
“Unfortunately, the race wasn’t as good as we wanted it to be – it took me a couple of laps to get used to the track and the car, but at least I continued to gain experience in the car, which was very useful, and go to the end of the race.”
“We will now need to work hard and keep on improving for the next race weekend in Brazil.”
