Pierre Gasly says he didn’t count on this yr’s drivers’ championship battle to go all the way down to the ultimate race of the season.
McLaren clinched the constructors’ championship on the 18th spherical of the season in Singapore. Nonetheless on the twenty fourth and remaining occasion the drivers’ title is but to be settled, with McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri nonetheless in rivalry together with Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“I have to say I’m very stunned,” mentioned the Alpine driver. “I believed that McLaren might have sealed the championship most likely 4 races in the past, just a few months in the past after the summer time break.
“However that’s what we love about racing is you can’t management it and you’ll’t predict all the pieces. So let’s see what occurs. We needs to be on for an thrilling remaining.”
A number of drivers tipped factors chief Norris to clinch the title, together with George Russell, Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc. Nonetheless the Ferrari driver admitted “I’ve modified my thoughts so many instances this yr.”
“I believed it was Oscar, then I believed it was Max, then I don’t know,” he defined. “I most likely suppose it’s going to be Lando: 12 factors remains to be vital. So, if nothing massive occurs to Lando, I feel Lando will take it.”
Fernando Alonso was the final driver to steer the factors forward of a championship showdown involving greater than two drivers, at Yas Marina in 2010. He narrowly misplaced the title to Sebastian Vettel, who arrived on the remaining race third within the standings.
Alonso mentioned McLaren’s efficiency benefit and power in numbers means the title ought to go to one in all their drivers. Nonetheless he acknowledged, “that is System 1 and something can occur as we noticed final week.”
“However when you’ve the most effective automotive it at all times helps. I feel McLaren, they’ve the most effective automotive they usually have two of the three [contenders] so they need to win in a traditional race.”
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2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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