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Gasly seeking FIA clarification over Stroll clash

Pierre Gasly was not happy that Lance Stroll escaped censure for an off-track overtake.

Pierre Gasly says he will seek clarification from the FIA on track limits, after Lance Stroll was not penalised for an alleged illegal overtake during the British Grand Prix. Stroll ran wide at Stowe corner while battling hard with Gasly over 11th place, and rejoined the track ahead of the Alpine. Gasly immediately radioed his team to raise the issue, but stewards decreed that no further action needed to be taken, and Stroll was not required to give the place back. To add insult to injury, a later clash between Stroll and Gasly resulted in damage to the Frenchman’s rear suspension, causing him to retire from the race. "To me, it was quite clear, and it's always been in the regulations," Gasly told media, including RacingNews365.com. "You can't leave the track and gain an advantage. From everything I've seen, he had four wheels off the track passing me, and that's gaining an advantage.”

Another track limits fiasco

Gasly also referenced last week's Austrian Grand Prix, where the issue of track limits was brought into sharp focus as several drivers – Gasly included – were slapped with time penalties after the race had finished, meaning it took several hours for the final result to be confirmed. "I got 15 seconds [penalty] last weekend for track limits. Now I lose a position with someone going off the track and nothing happens,” said Gasly. "In [the] Formula 2 [Feature Race at Silverstone], Victor Martins was in the lead and got a five-second penalty for exactly the same thing, so I'm extremely confused with what's going on at the moment. "If you go off the racetrack, you have got to give the position back, as simple as that. If you try [to overtake] and you've been off the racetrack, just give the position back. That's what I've been told by the FIA, and I've paid the price in different situations. "It's black and white, track limits: you are either on or off the track. Off the track gaining an advantage, that's a five-second penalty or you give the position back. "It's got to be crystal clear. We're racing at 350 km/h. Last week [at the Austrian Grand Prix], we got penalised for stuff where we feel like we're not getting the warning properly. "And this situation for me, as soon as I saw [Stroll] going off the racetrack, I was like, 'he'll give the position back'. And I spent three laps behind losing time in his gearbox where I should not be there. "So just asking for consistency. If that's allowed, fine. But it's got to be allowed for everyone."

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