Gasly facing penalties threat after engine fire in FP2
Pierre Gasly says he had just a few seconds warning before a major fire erupted around the rear of his AlphaTauri Formula 1 car in second practice for the Portuguese GP.
The Frenchman triggered a red flag when he stopped at the edge of the track and jumped out just as flames took hold.
His car had lost all electrical power in what the team described as a "blackout".
It took the marshals a few seconds to reach the car as some of them had to cross the track, and Gasly was seen urging them to take action.
They eventually put the fire out, but not before the rear of the car suffered serious damage.
Gasly was already on the limit for all six Honda power unit elements, and thus any replacements will lead to grid penalties if the team does not have serviceable examples in the pool.
He had completed 27 laps of the afternoon session before the fire, and was still an encouraging seventh at the end of the session.
However, he has some catching up to do as he only ran the hard tyre, and will have to rely on data from team mate Daniil Kvyat.
"Literally five seconds before I stopped I just lost everything," he said. "The steering, the electricity in the car.
"We're still investigating what happened. Obviously there was a lot of fire at the back of the car and things burning, so we need to analyse and know what happened.
"For sure it's not ideal, especially because we could not run the option tyre, we had only the base this morning.
"On a new track like this it's never great. But that's what we got, unfortunately. We'll try to get as much data as we can on Dany's side.
"Pace-wise it looked pretty decent all day long, but I'm still not feeling super comfortable with the car, so I think we can improve it for tomorrow. It will be important, FP3, because we need to recover these laps."
Related video
Hamilton says his Mercedes F1 car felt "pretty terrible" in FP2
Renault given FIA warning after Ricciardo tyre blunder
Reborn TGM Super Formula team announces two-car 2023 entry
The former Team Goh outfit has been relaunched as 'TGM Grand Prix' ahead of the 2023 Super Formula season.
Ellis to replace injured Auer for Bathurst 12 Hour
Philip Ellis will make his Bathurst 12 Hour debut this week as a stand-in for the injured Lucas Auer.
Despite heroic comeback, Corvette missing speed at Daytona
Corvette Racing came from two laps down to finish second in class at the Rolex 24 Hours but lost out in the final shootout to a quicker Mercedes.
Winning MSR Acura "super lucky" with Rolex 24 gearbox scare
The Meyer Shank Racing Acura team was "super lucky" that it was able to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona despite having a malfunctioning gearbox for most of the race, according to team founder and co-owner Michael Shank.
Nico Hulkenberg: Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing.
Why Vasseur relishes 'feeling the pressure' as Ferrari's F1 boss
OPINION: Fred Vasseur has spent only a few weeks as team principal for the Ferrari Formula 1 team, but is already intent on taking the Scuderia back to the very top. And despite it being arguably the most demanding job in motorsport, the Frenchman is relishing the challenge
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? Luke Smith asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 'holiday' races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.