Gasly was 90 seconds away from not starting Belgian GP!

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Pierre Gasly says a sudden electrical issue when AlphaTauri attempted to fire up his car before the race nearly caused his retirement from the Belgian Grand Prix even before it had started!

Gasly was set to launch his race from P8 on the grid but the Frenchman was a no show when the formation lap got underway as the drama played out in the AlphaTauri garage where his crews frantically tried to fire up his AT03.

At the end of the day, Gasly was happy with his productive two-stop strategy and run to P9, but admitted the pre-race turmoil had left him "fuming".

"I'm extremely pleased with the race we executed," he told Sky Sports F1.

"I was fuming at the start of the race, because we were lining up in the pits.

"I'm not too sure exactly what's happened but we had an electrical problem and the car would not switch on.

"We had to push the car back to the garage and at that time, they told me we may not take part in the race, and 90 seconds before the race start the car came alive again."

Read also: Gasly to Alpine could open door for Schumacher to join AlphaTauri

Forced to chase from behind, Gasly progressed up to P11 after his first pitstop, and then battled his way into the top ten after his final switch from the hard to medium tyre.

"I'm even surprised that we made it back to the top 10, especially after the last couple of races," he commented. "I'm extremely happy about it.

"We definitely made the right calls in terms of strategy today, undercuts and being quite aggressive.

"I think Alex [Albon] did help us quite a bit towards the end of the race by blocking the others, so we just managed to benefit from fresh air, use the pace of the car when I was alone on track and make the right strategy call."

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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.