PIERRE GASLY

After starting 2019 with Red Bull, Pierre Gasly was demoted to Toro Rosso during the summer break. We spoke to the Frenchman about his difficult year, the differences between the RB15 and STR14, and his hopes of returning to a top seat

How would you reflect on the turn of events that led you to be demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso?

Well, there’s a lot to talk about. But what’s been done is done – it’s history. I’m a positive guy and always moving forward, so I’m focusing on what is happening right now and also in the next few months, since this will impact my career. Of course, some things were good, others were wrong. There were things I could have done better as a driver, obviously. I had my part to play in the responsibility of what happened but I think everyone in the team had their responsibilities in the lack of performance that we had too.

It was a good lesson for me, so in the future I need to avoid ending up in a similar situation to this. You always learn from challenging times – I take a step back now, but that’s to take two steps forward in the future.

What’s it like to be back working at Toro Rosso? Is there less pressure?

Honestly, I don’t think there is less pressure. Once you sign with Red Bull, you always have pressure. You know that it’s something you have to deal with – that’s the nature of the Red Bull programme. I don’t feel any less pressure from when I first signed a contract with them. Even though you change teams, your own performance cannot change and you need to deliver the best of yourself. The pressure doesn’t change, for sure the team is different, people are different, there is a bit more of an Italian culture here, but the pressure is always there.

Is the Toro Rosso a more manageable car to drive compared with the Red Bull?

Because it is less competitive, I actually find that it’s a bit more inconsistent. In a way I think I’ve found something that’s more natural to me compared with the Red Bull. I came back to find something that has a bit more of my natural driving style, and also the team is really pushing to give me everything I need to feel comfortable in the car.

What has Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said to you on your return?

He was really happy. It was really nice. The Thursday after the shutdown I went to the factory in Faenza and tried to prepare as much as possible before Spa. He’s been really helpful in trying to make me feel comfortable from the first day I came back into the team so that we can perform at our best. That’s been the positive thing about coming back here and we’ve been able to score points early on. Even though the cars look similar from the outside, it’s difficult for people to understand how different it feels.

Can you explain the difference between the Red Bull and Toro Rosso?

From the cockpit there are differences in the seating position and steering wheel. Also the stiffness of the brake pedal and the stroke of the throttle pedal too. The steering rack, when you turn the wheel, the ratio is different.

There are so many things that affect your feeling, so I really had to reset all my references and there are things I could do with the Red Bull that I couldn’t do any more with the Toro Rosso, and vice versa.

Power unit and delivery is the same, but the way you place the throttle, based on mechanical grip, it has a stroke that’s different, so that made things a bit strange at the beginning.

Having worked with him, how much of a competitor is Max Verstappen?

It’s fair to say he’s one of the best drivers on the grid, so for my second year in F1 it was good to be alongside someone like him because there are a lot of things I could learn. Such as the way he approaches the weekend, the way he works with the engineers, the way he drives. Just looking at what he does was really useful. He’s really a competitive guy, which isn’t a surprise to anyone. He’s really fast and always extracts what he has. He maximises everything.

Is the target to return to Red Bull?

Of course, as a Red Bull driver you always want to be in the best car and this will always remain the main target, whether it’s short or medium term. At the moment I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen. I just want to focus on my performances now and see what will happen in due course. Everything is going well at Toro Rosso and I feel we can do a better job than what we’re already doing.

“IT WAS A GOOD LESSON FOR ME, SO IN THE FUTURE I NEED TO AVOID ENDING UP IN A SIMILAR SITUATION TO THIS. YOU ALWAYS LEARN FROM CHALLENGING TIMES”