Pierre Gasly discovers fate of F1 stewards’ decision after 'tow' revelation

Pierre Gasly has escaped punishment from the stewards at Spa-Francorchamps after being investigated for potentially impeding Yuki Tsunoda. The Frenchman will therefore retain his eighth-place starting slot for the one-third distance sprint at the Belgian Grand Prix. The incident occurred at Blanchimont (Turn 17) during the first portion of the session, but both drivers ultimately made it through to SQ2. The Japanese driver explained to the officials that he may have even benefited from Gasly being in his way, arguing he received a "tow" from the Alpine. According to the decision document: "The driver of Car 22 stated that he actually received a 'tow' from Car 10 and did not have to back off in speed. This was verified by the telemetry. "He further stated he was not impeded and did not need to take any evasive action. In view of the above, the Stewards decide to take no further action because no 'unnecessary impeding' occurred." Tsunoda nonetheless fell short of getting his Red Bull RB21 into the final part of sprint qualifying, only managing P12.