Gasly feared duel with Vettel 'would end in the harbour'

©AlphaTauri

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Pierre Gasly says a wheel-to-wheel skirmish with Sebastian Vettel in Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix was so close that he feared both drivers "would end up in the harbour".

Aston Martin had opted to extend Vettel's first stint against his direct rivals that included Gasly and Mercedes Lewis Hamilton, and the overcut strategy worked like charm.

However, after exiting the pits ahead of Gasly, the German driver had to hold his own in fifth position against the AlphaTauri charger on the run up the hill.

As the pair ran side-by-side up Beau Rivage, Vettel, running on the outside of his rival, refused to give an inch.

Read also: Vettel savours in Monaco 'very important day for all of us'

"We literally came out side-by-side up the hill and he managed to get on top of us," Gasly told Sky Sports F1.

"It was very close. I tried first the overtake button to boost everything I had but for some reason it didn’t give me the edge on him.

"Going up the hill at some point I thought we would both end up in the harbour because it was that close. He managed to have just half a car in front of us and keep it in front."

Gasly admitted there had been no margin for error between the two drivers, and while it was hard racing on the part of Vettel, the Frenchman said it was fair.

"He didn’t give me any room," he said after finishing P5. "It was very hard racing, I told him, but we both made it. If I had been in his seat I would have done the same thing, so nicely done from him."

Vettel conceded that the scrap had been "very tight", although he admitted that he was not initially aware of Gasly's presence alongside him.

"It was very, very tight with Pierre coming out," said the Aston martin driver who scored his first points of the season in Monaco.

"Up the hill I didn’t see him initially. I knew he was there but not exactly where, and it was drag race up the hill. It’s not straight and I gave him room and eventually he had to back out of it."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.