Why Pierre Gasly is seriously worried about his 'front wings' ahead of Russian Grand Prix
Pierre Gasly is due to race in the Russian Grand Prix today and has expressed worries about his AlphaTauri car's front wings.
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AlphaTauri racer Pierre Gasly has finished P12 in qualifying ahead of today's Russian Grand Prix, a disappointing result after placing P3 in practice behind the two Mercedes drivers Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton. However, Gasly has expressed concerns about his AlphaTauri car's front wings.
On a racing car, the front wings are integral, as they are the first part to hit the airflow.
This means they play a crucial role in shaping the car's aerodynamics.
Mercedes writes of the front wing: "It is steeply angled to turn the air up and over the bodywork, while the endplates smooth and condition the airflow around the wheels and into the sidepods."
However, AlphaTauri's cars seem to have had some problems with their front wings.
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Speaking to Motorsport.com Gasly said: “It seems like our front wings are quite fragile.
“[I lost one] with Daniel at Monza, also in Bahrain, and Yuki [Tsunoda lost one] in Monza as well.
“I understeered a bit, so I was going to hit the kerb right in the middle of the car, so I opened to go behind it, thinking it would be better.
"And in the end, the whole front wing went off. So we need to see if we can do something for that, but no big concern.
“In cases like this, bananas are not made to destroy the car, just to kind of slow you down. It was a bit surprising.”
FP3 has been cancelled today due to poor weather conditions, with qualifying at 1pm BST the next time the racers will take to the track.
Finishing P3 in FP2, Gasly did not replicate this performance in qualifying, finishing P12.
When asked if P3 was realistic, Gasly said on Friday: "I would say it's encouraging.
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"This morning I was P6, then P3 this afternoon.
"Obviously we know what could happen for the rest of the weekend with tomorrow and the conditions, and I think that it's really good to to put a strong time today.
"It wasn't so easy, I didn't feel as comfortable as usual within the car, quite a lot of work to do. But I think it's pretty difficult for everyone.
"Just happy we managed to be strong in both sessions because it's promising for the rest of the weekend."
The Russian Grand Prix coverage starts at 11.30am BST, with a 1pm race start.
2021 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship Standings
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing 226.5 points
2. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes 221.5
3. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes 141
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren 132
5. Sergio Perez, Mexico, Red Bull 118
6. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari 104
7. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, Ferrari 97.5
8. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, McLaren 83
9. Pierre Gasly, France, Alphatauri 66
10. Fernando Alonso, Spain, Alpine 50
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Alpine 45
12. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Aston Martin 35
13. Lance Stroll, Canada, Aston Martin 24
14. Yuki Tsunoda, Japan, AlphaTauri 18
15. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams 15
16. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams 7
17. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo 2
18. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo 1
19. Mick Schumacher, Germany, Haas 0
20. Nikita Mazepin, Russia, Haas 0
21. Robert Kubica, Poland, Alfa Romeo 0