Fresh blow as Red Bull's Ricciardo replacement faces uncertain future
Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly will have to start Sunday’s Azerbaijan Formula One Grand Prix from the pit lane after failing to stop to have his car weighed at the end of Friday’s second practice.
The rules require a driver to stop when asked for random checks to ensure cars and drivers adhere to the weight limit mandated by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).
Gasly was called in to the weighbridge as he came back into the pits after the second session in which he ended ninth, about 0.4 seconds off teammate Max Verstappen’s pace.
"Instead, he drove on and proceeded to do a pit stop where the car was worked on by lifting the car and all four wheels were changed...", the stewards noted in their decision.
Cuando Gasly se saltaba el pesaje y era sancionado con largar desde el Pit Lane #FP2 #AzerbaijanGP
Hay 2 carteles luminosos con el dorsal 10 y abreviatura GAS (por Gasly)
Vídeo de @F1 pic.twitter.com/GXE6ps6GSl— Stefania Bruera (@stefifm) April 26, 2019
Gasly was promoted to Red Bull from Toro Rosso this season as a replacement for Daniel Ricciardo after the Australian moved to Renault.
He is under heavy pressure to retain his spot after a lacklustre start to the year.
The Frenchman, who brought out the yellow warning flags more than once on Friday thanks to spins in practice, has finished in the points in two of the season’s three races.
He took home an extra point for fastest lap at the last race in China but has been out-qualified and beaten by highly rated teammate Verstappen in each of the season’s three races.
