The fury on social media On the day of the official presentation of the Alpine, Pierre Gasly took the floor commenting on the characteristics of the new car and the expectations for the upcoming championship, but at the end of the ceremony the French driver also focused on an episode that had generated much controversy at the beginning of January. During the Christmas holidays, the transalpine had in fact published some images on his social profile that portrayed him on skis, however wearing a red Marlboro suit very similar to that of Michael Schumacher, victim of a serious skiing accident dating back to 2013. As if that wasn’t enough, the photo was taken on January 3, the birthday of the seven-time German world champion. A post that had aroused great anger and indignation among fans, with many of them considering it to be in “bad taste” and with “bad timing”, just to name a few comments. In the meeting with the media after the presentation of the A526, Gasly wanted to clarify the matter: “I am a big fan of Michael – he declared – I have always shown him respect. I think I have always shared the fact that he was one of my idols as a child. It was one of his jackets. I love skiing. I always go there since I was a child. I think it distracts you. As I said, I spent two weeks. One with my family during the Christmas period, and one with my friends, which I really need in my life just to get away from the environment I usually find myself in and go back to a more traditional life with friends. I really like that aspect of it, and it’s been nice.” Regarding the criticism and insults he received, Gasly then concluded with another comment: “I think that’s unfortunately the life we live. I think I always prove myself to be a very respectful person. I’ve had a couple of idols in my life. Michael was and is one of them. So I never thought badly of those words.”
