Pierre Gasly insists his unique F1 record in 2024 of sustaining no crash damage has a hidden benefit for his Alpine team.
Gasly is the only driver on the grid not to incur damage in the season, a trait he has kept up through 21 of 24 rounds as F1 descends on Las Vegas for round 22.
The Frenchman, who bagged his first podium of the year in Sao Paulo with third has been able to keep the record going despite racing in the uber-tight midfield - but highlighted the importance to Alpine of keeping his copybook clean for the remaining trio of grands prix.
"It makes it easier to insure my car back at home," Gasly quipped to media including RacingNews365.
"But no, I mean it is a great stat at the end of the day, but it is also very, very important for the team because the money is something which goes into the budget cap, so it plays a factor in the development throughout the year and what it offers the team in terms of money available.
"So obviously, we will try to keep it that way until the end of the season, but you go into every race trying to fight at the limit.
"Most of the year, I was in the middle of the pack, so I'm not sure how I managed to keep it clean, but you've got to look at if it is coming from a driver mistake and error or if it is just a racing incident.
"Since the budget cap is involved it is something we discuss a lot with the team because it does play a big factor in the resources of the team."
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Samuel Coop is joined by guest host Joris Mosterdijk and Fergal Walsh as the RacingNews365 team looks ahead to the second running of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Will Max Verstappen wrap up his fourth drivers’ championship or will it roll onto Qatar? Also, the trio dissect the recently-confirmed F1 Live event to celebrate the championship’s 75th season and a rather mysterious social media message from Mick Schumacher.
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