Pierre Gasly has called for fans to show more respect for drivers when entering the Formula 1 paddock.
Although access to the paddock is restricted to a limited number of people, it has been very busy in recent races. Drivers discussed the problems caused by the result at their regular race weekend meeting on Friday.
For the second race weekend in a row, Gasly said he found out that a bag containing his personal belongings had been opened. F1 races at Mexico’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez this weekend, having visited the US circuit a week ago.
Some fans feel they are not doing themselves a favor when the Alpha Tauri driver is allowed into the paddock.
“I think it’s good to bring people in, but it’s true that sometimes I feel like some guests don’t respect the space we want,” he said in response to a question from Rasfans.
“People coming to the garage who are not part of our team before they qualify and ask for a photo. We are working here and obviously we give time to the fans when we can. [But] I didn’t dare leave the reception this weekend because otherwise you know you’ll be annoying, and sometimes it’s really annoying.
Gasly stated that the problem was not limited to this weekend’s race and pointed out that his bag had been opened twice in the last two rounds.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
“I took my bag – which I arrived at the reception yesterday morning, which contained my passport – which was opened and I didn’t feel anything,” he said.
“Obviously it wasn’t me and neither was my manager. When he saw that, he immediately shut it down. But the same thing happened in Austin when I left the paddock.
He believes more safety precautions may be needed. “I feel like we’re not safe in F1 at the moment and maybe there’s something we can do,” he said. But like I said, we’re always giving maximum time to the fans, not that we don’t want anyone, but just finding ways to make everyone happy.
“We talked about this at the drivers’ briefing,” he added. “I think it’s great to see kids and people really enjoying it, but maybe it’s just finding a way to understand where they’re going to get us and when to give us a little more space.”
Gasly’s concerns were shared by Lando Norris, who said drivers wanted to interact with fans. “There’s just not as much respect as there should be for personal space and things like that,” he said. “They should feel lucky to be in the paddock and to be as close as we are.”
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
Drivers try to introduce themselves to fans, Norris said. “It’s easy for us to always go around the back way and get people to get them right and not sign anything.
“But we [don’t] You want to do that. We were happy to do those things and we wanted to go to the paddock and stuff. But there should be just a little respect from people for our personal space and boundaries and things.
Sergio Perez, the only Mexican driver in F1, has assured his fellow drivers of the enthusiastic local fans. “Mexicans are really tough, but they’re great people,” he said. “They will not harm anyone.
“It’s great to see this, we don’t get to see this in many countries. So it’s good to enjoy Formula 1 a bit.”
Become a RaceFans fan
RaceFans is run in part by the generous support of its readers. By donating £1 a month or £12 a year (or the equivalent whichever currency you use), you can help cover the costs of creating, hosting and developing RaceFans today and into the future.
Become a RaceFans fan today and browse the site ad-free. Register or find out more at the links below:
2022 Mexican Grand Prix
Browse all 2022 Mexican Grand Prix articles
