Pierre Gasly has lifted the lid on what he believes was a podium-strength Alpine start in Miami, only for Max Verstappen's lap-one spin and a later collision with Liam Lawson to wreck the Frenchman's race.
Gasly was one of the surprise stories of the weekend, with Alpine showing the kind of qualifying pace it has rarely managed under the 2026 regulations. The team's launch had been the best part of the race for Gasly until Verstappen looped his Red Bull through 360 degrees at Turn 1 directly in front of him.
"Honestly, it was one of those situations where I took a really good start, and if I had a worse start, I would have actually got out of lap one in a better position," Gasly explained.
The issue was timing. With Verstappen sliding back across the racing line at near walking pace, Gasly had to hit the brakes hard mid-corner to avoid the Red Bull, killing his momentum just as the rest of the pack was funnelling into Turn 1.
"So it was quite unfortunate, quite unlucky timing," Gasly said. "To exit turn one, [position] seven, or maybe close to six, and then I see him coming back, and I had to hit the brake to avoid him, because obviously it was extremely slow."
What happened next was the cascade every driver dreads. With his car bogged down in the middle of the track, Gasly was instantly engulfed by the cars he had jumped at the launch.
"Then I just got swallowed by the whole bunch of cars behind me. So I think we lost five, six positions there," he said.
That opportunity disappeared entirely later in the race when Gasly was flipped into the barriers after contact with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, ending the Alpine driver's afternoon. Gasly was clear that he had given Lawson room and was unsurprised that the New Zealander committed to the move.
"I knew he was there," Gasly recounted. "I knew [we were] side by side. I knew at that time, fortunately, he probably had to just accept losing the position, but I knew he'd still try, so that's why I left the space for a car and a half on the inside, just for him, at least, to have the choice to stay there if he really wanted."
The net result is one of Alpine's most painful Sunday afternoons of the season: a car that suddenly had Q3 pace, a driver who started in the points, and nothing to show for either. With Canada coming up on the calendar, Gasly will be hoping that a less chaotic opening lap can finally allow Alpine's recent qualifying form to translate into a meaningful Sunday result.
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*Originally published on [News Formula 1](https://newsformula.one/article/gasly-verstappen-spin-cost-five-six-places-miami-lawson-collision). Visit for full coverage.*