Dawn had barely broken over São Paulo when the knock came. Pierre Gasly was woken at 6am on Thursday for a random anti-doping test, and he turned up to media duties a few hours later still visibly worn down.
“I got woken up at 06:00 for a doping test this morning, so I’m not in the best mood,” the Alpine driver told Motorsport Week in the Interlagos paddock. “It was a bad night, but I love this place.”
The visit was a routine out-of-competition sample, the kind every FIA-licensed driver is subject to under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. Testers have the right to arrive unannounced, and a missed test carries its own sanctions, including fines and possible competition bans.
Two Interlagos podiums keep him upbeat
Despite the rough opening to his week, Gasly had reason to look forward. Interlagos is the only Formula 1 venue where he has stood on the podium twice, and Sunday’s forecast calls for rain, the same conditions that delivered his most recent trip to the rostrum.
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“Interlagos is a special place for me, having secured my first Formula One podium there in 2019, and of course doing it again with our incredible result in 2024,” Gasly said in Alpine’s Brazilian Grand Prix preview.
His 2019 drive for Toro Rosso, remembered for a drag race to the line against Lewis Hamilton, put him on the F1 map. Five seasons later he and team-mate Esteban Ocon delivered Alpine a double-podium result in a rain-soaked race at the same circuit.
Minì takes the Alpine for FP1
Gasly will sit out Friday’s opening practice to hand his car to Alpine Academy driver Gabriele Minì, part of F1’s mandatory rookie-program sessions. He is back in the cockpit for Free Practice 2 in the afternoon, per the team preview.
Lights out at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace is scheduled for 2pm local time on Sunday, 8 November, the closing round of F1’s Americas triple-header and the 20th race of the 2026 season.
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