Alpha Tauri engineer: 'Gasly doesn't need that approach anymore'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Jonathan Eddolls, head of development at Alpha Tauri, does not expect Pierre Gasly to face any problems in his integration at Alpine. Speaking to The Race Eddolls said he is confident his former driver can quickly claim a lead role at his new team.
In 2023, Gasly will not compete for the Red Bull family in Formula 1 for the first time. The Frenchman will take over Fernando Alonso's seat at Alpine alongside his countryman Esteban Ocon.
Gasly's time in Formula 1 has been one of trial and error. After just one season, he was promoted to the second seat at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. However, after 12 races with disappointing results, he was sent back to Toro Rosso (now Alpha Tauri) where he managed to do in 2020 what he failed to do at Red Bull: win a race. According to Eddolls, it was precisely this trajectory that made Gasly the driver he is today.
'We are very nice as a team'
"It will take some getting used to for him at the beginning," explained Eddolls. "We as a team are very nice to our drivers, we are usually not that strict. I don't know what it will be like there. Both times he drove with us, that friendly approach worked well to boost his confidence. As soon as he won his first race, we saw a huge change in his approach, his confidence, his motivation, the way he took the lead and drove the team forward."
"Having seen that change with him, I don't expect him to have any problems with another team," Eddolls continued. "He has that confidence, he has great leadership skills, he has great motivation and he doesn't need that friendly environment anymore. I think he can go somewhere now, be himself and lead a team straight away. He fits right in."