AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly said he was “screaming in pain” during the closing stages of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, explaining that it felt like he was “dying in the car.”
Gasly finished in eighth spot in the race, having been hampered by the safety car that was deployed just after his first pit stop.
“I must say I am really happy,” Gasly said, as reported by the-race.com.
READ MORE: Haas’ worth questioned amid contract twist
READ MORE: Richmond not giving up on Martin comeback
READ MORE: Surprise Ricciardo take after Saudi Arabia disaster
“It was very unlucky timing with the pitstop, when we boxed, as soon as I came out of the pits, I saw the safety car came out, so I dropped to 14th.
“We managed to make our way back to P8, so yeah, I think we can be happy and on my side, it’s been the most painful last 15 laps of my career.
“I don’t know what’s happened with my intestine, but I was dying inside the car. I was screaming because of pain and just happy the race is done, and we managed to secure P8.”
Gasly said the last few laps of the race were purely about getting to the finish.
“I feel like every left turn someone was stabbing me on the inside, on my intestine, so it was not nice”.
The AlphaTauri team has struggled during the opening two races of the season, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing eighth in Bahrain and Gasly eighth in Saudi Arabia. Tsunoda did not finish in Saudi Arabia.
The next race is in Melbourne on April 10.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!