How Pierre Gasly reflects on ‘rollercoaster’ journey with Red Bull and eventual split
Pierre Gasly says his time at Red Bull ultimately made him “better as a driver and also as a person”.
Gasly suffered a brutal demotion from Red Bull after just half a season in 2019, having struggled to match the performances of then teammate Max Verstappen.
Despite his career setback, the Frenchman has gone from strength to strength, claiming a stunning, redemptive maiden victory at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix with Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri.
After further starring performances over the following seasons, Gasly left the Red Bull family and sealed a switch to Alpine for 2023 as he looked to carve out a new path to the front of the grid.
Reflecting on his turbulent journey with Red Bull during F1’s Beyond The Grid podcast, Gasly said: “At the end of the day, when I look back at Red Bull, it was nine and a half years of pure joy - incredible results and fighting for championships before Formula 1.
“It wasn’t an easy way to Formula 1. I got sent to Japan, which at the time felt like a bit of a punishment going into Super Formula, and it was one of the most enjoyable and exciting seasons I ever had.
“I absolutely loved it and I feel such a connection with Japan now, that every year I wish I could have three or four weeks to spend there because it was an amazing life experience, an amazing championship, a great challenge.
"There was a lot of pressure, but I love that pressure. There was a lot of stress showing up in Japan, not understanding anything, a new car, and I had no idea about the racetracks. But I didn't crumble down. If anything, I got better as a driver.
“Starting in F1 after, it was a rollercoaster ride from podiums to promotion to the best team in Formula 1. It was just quite unfortunate that year, that he car wasn't working as well. It was just unlucky timing, things didn’t work out the best way.
“It definitely made me better as a driver and also as a person.”
Asked if he understands why it didn’t work out at Red Bull, Gasly simply responded: “100%.”
Although Gasly has never talked to Helmut Marko about how things turned out at Red Bull, he hopes to have that conversation one day.
“I hope one day we get the chance to,” he said. “But I know, deep inside, they’re smart people. It's the way that it was, that wasn't really fair. But that’s the sport and I've learned as well that this sport is not always fair.
“I really closed the chapter when I left AlphaTauri and opened a brand-new story with Alpine. I think I've reached a level of experience, skills and mindfulness right now, which thanks to my previous experiences, allows me to be better today than I was yesterday.”
