Gasly: "Miscommunication caused Hartley crash

Pierre Gasly has said that an error in communication led to his crash with team mate Brendon Hartley in the Chinese GP.

The pair collided at the Turn 14 hairpin in an accident that eventually brought out the safety car which turned the course of the race in Daniel Ricciardo’s favour.

Gasly expected New Zealander Hartley to let him past at the end of the straight due to their different strategies: “They told me on the radio ‘OK Brendon is going to let you past’ at the end of the straight, so I expected him to let me by.

“I went on the inside and I expected him to leave a bit of space for me to turn, and finally when he started to turn and I was on the inside, it was too late. There was nothing I could do. I tried to brake to avoid him but it was too late, we made contact and that was it.”

Hartley admitted he knew he had to let Gasly past but thought that they would swap positions on the exit of the corner.

Gasly finished the race in 18th position, a polar opposite of the fourth place he managed in Bahrain last time out, whereas Hartley was forced to retire with a gearbox issue and is still yet to open his F1 points account.