Pierre Gasly wishes his Red Bull stint 'never happened' ahead of Alpine debut

Pierre Gasly has said that he wished his Red Bull never happened but hopes to dwell on the positive side of the situation.

The Frenchman was promoted to Red Bull from Toro Rosso at the start of the 2019 season following Daniel Ricciardo's exit. Gasly, though, was comprehensively outperformed by his teammate Max Verstappen and was unceremoniously dropped mid-season to Toro Rosso.

The incident served as a wake-up call for Gasly. Since then, he has won a Grand Prix and stood on the podium thrice. Speaking to RacingNews365, he said:

“As much as I wish this would have never happened, I think it’s been definitely a very useful and positive experience. (It has been helpful in) not repeating the similar mistakes, and just being a lot more aware of the requirements (of) moving to a new team.”

He continued:

“I’m not going to lie; it’s definitely a much better feeling and much more exciting feeling. I take this very seriously, and I’m a very competitive person, and I really hope that we’re going to be able to carry the momentum they have had over the last year and close the gap to the front three during this year.”

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“I’m very confident; I have no doubt" - Pierre Gasly on working with Esteban Ocon

Pierre Gasly will race for Alpine in the 2023 season and partner alongside fellow Frenchman Esteban Ocon. Both drivers have had a 'fierce' past, so many are expecting fallout between them during the year.

However, speaking to The Race, Gasly said that he has full confidence that he and Ocon will work together well. He said:

“I’m very confident. I have no doubt. I’ve spent more time with him in the last two months than I’ve spent in the last 10 years, and things are going well. We’re grown-up people now, more mature and just aware of responsibilities (we have as) Alpine drivers, having such a group behind us."

He added:

“We have to work closely together if we want to be competitive; we’ve got to push the team forward, and for that, we’ve got to work together. That’s why I have no doubt that everything will be fine.”

It will be fascinating to see if both drivers can fulfill the promise of working together in 2023 and guide the French team forward. Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will also stake their claim to be the No.1 driver in the team.