Pierre Gasly admitted his embarrassment of having picked up so many penalty points this season – but also pointed his finger at Formula 1 lawmakers as he criticised the "strict" rules that have left him close to a race ban.
The Frenchman currently has 10 points on his licence – another two, which could be earned with just one more incident, would see him become the first ever F1 driver to reach the threshold of 12 in a period of as many months. If that happens, he will be banned for the next race.
To make matters worse, he has to wait until May next year before the first of those points begin to expire. And he is fully aware of how delicate the situation has become for him now.
"It's a very unpleasant situation, quite delicate and also in some ways a bit embarrassing, to be in a position where I could be banned for a race after the season I've done," Gasly told reporters in Sao Paulo. "I don't really feel like I've been particularly dangerous over these last 12 months, and it would definitely be a harsh penalty."
Gasly will leave AlphaTauri at the end of this season, embarking on a fresh start with Alpine next season. More penalty points in Brazil this weekend could see him miss the Abu Dhabi finale seven days later, while anything after that would mean missing a race with his new team early next year.
The 26-year-old, keen to sign off from his current employer in style and to avoid a disrupted start in 2023, is concerned about the situation. He added: "There have been a lot of discussions with the FIA, trying to find a solution. I want to do all of the races, I want to finish the season in the best way I can with AlphaTauri. I want to do all the races in 2023 to get the maximum chance to perform for Alpine.
"Obviously, there is a lot at stake because no-one knows what will happen in '23. I could end up with an amazing car fighting for the championship, for example, so I can't take the risk to be banned for a race and lose all my hopes for the championship.
"So it's a very tricky situation, and I've been discussing quite a lot with the FIA to try to find solutions, because the way the regulations are written at the moment is quite strict on the drivers – quite harsh penalties, even though it's not always related to dangerous driving.
"Definitely, the penalties have massive repercussions on the team and drivers' championship. I will have more conversations today, and I hope we can find a solution ahead of the weekend to avoid ending up in a silly situation where I am banned for a race. That would be terrible for myself, and definitely not the way I have seen the sport growing up. I don't think it's the correct approach... hopefully there can be a good plan going forward for 2023."
