F1 News
Gasly used second half of 2019 to stop "people talking sh*t" about him
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly has explained how he felt like he had to prove a point in the second half of the 2019 season to the "people talking sh*t" as the young Frenchman bounced back excellently after being demoted from Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.
Gasly was first promoted to Red Bull for the start of 2019, with Daniel Ricciardo leaving a seat empty following his move to Renault. Despite his obvious talent, Gasly massively struggled in the RB15 next to Max Verstappen.
The 23-year-old's low point came at the Austrian Grand Prix, when Verstappen won his first race of the season while lapping Gasly in the same equipment. After 12 Grands Prix and despite reassurances Gasly would finish the season, Red Bull decided to pull the plug. They swapped Gasly for rookie Alex Albon.
While you'd expect Gasly to struggle in the second half of the season following the mental hammer blow of being demoted, the youngster actually hit the best form of his season. He picked up points finishes more often than not, before shockingly earning his maiden podium in a dramatic race at Interlagos.
"I thought now I've got these nine races basically to prove my point and prove the speed and prove the skills I have," Gasly exclusively told Motorsport.com when talking about the second half of his season.
"Of course I've been always competitive since I started in single-seaters, and then in these six months everybody then questions: "Okay, does he have the talent?" "Does he have the speed?" "Has he forgot how to drive?" "Has he forgot how to brake?" "How well does he turn the wheel right now?"
Although Albon has done well at Red Bull given the circumstances, Gasly does look like his old self again and he could be in contention for the seat again after the 2020 season should things go his way. It looks like the Frenchman has used the doubt and the criticism he has received in his time at the Bulls and used it as fuel to become an even better driver.
"[But] it's not something you forget in two-three weeks, you know. For me it was important, and it was people talking sh*t without having the information, or having partial information or not even knowing.
"So for me it was really important to give 110% of myself, to make sure I was on top of my game for these nine races and just show basically the speed I have to stop the bullsh*t."