Pierre Gasly criticises Formula 1 engines: “They’ve gone a bit too far”

This year, the new Formula 1 rules are causing more than just a few headaches for the engineers. The drivers are also being put to the test, as the new power units – which rely on a significantly higher proportion of electric power than their predecessors – are having an impact on how they drive. It’s no longer the driver who races through the corners the fastest who is the quickest, as Pierre Gasly also emphasises in the ‘Autocar’ podcast ‘My week in cars’.

An incomparable feeling

The Frenchman is already contesting his ninth full Formula 1 season this year and has consequently gained a wealth of experience in various Grand Prix cars. He, too, agrees with what world champions Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have already complained about – that racing is no longer as much fun because of the latest generation of cars and power units.

“When you feel all that power coming out of a corner, it’s a feeling that’s like nothing else, and one I can never get enough of,” enthuses the 30-year-old, adding: “I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I’m not a big fan of the whole battery story.”

Pierre Gasly explains: “This is how racing should be”

“It’s simply going a bit too far, because we now have to manage our energy very carefully. As a driver, you have to drive in an energy-efficient way, and that means you can’t necessarily just power through the corners as fast as possible any more,” explains the experienced Alpine driver, who currently sits tenth in the World Championship standings.

“You have to understand in which corners you can go full throttle and in which ones you should be a bit more cautious with the throttle to achieve a good lap time,” says Gasly, emphasising: “Ever since I first sat in a kart at the age of six, there’s been one rule: when you’re behind the wheel, you go through the corners as fast as you can. And I think that’s how racing should be.”

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Formula 1 officials have responded to the drivers’ criticism and made adjustments. It has also been decided to gradually readjust the balance between electric power and internal combustion engine power in favour of the combustion engine over the coming years.