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Former Red Bull and AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly feels much stronger than he was when he drove for the senior team in 2019. During an exit interview, he paid respects to his former team and crew.
The French driver was fast-tracked to the senior team in 2019 after only a season with Torro Rosso but the inability to produce results led to his demotion. Since then, Gasly has shown an impressive return to form. He's scored multiple podiums and even a race win in 2020.
The French driver will leave the Red Bull umbrella at the end of the 2022 season and join Alpine. When questioned if there was something he would want to change from the start of his career with Red Bull, Gasly said he would change nothing. He was proud of his journey with the team. He learned a lot and solidified himself as a seasoned F1 driver. He said:
"This was my career and my story with Red Bull. I really believe that whatever was meant to happen happened, and [that] it's meant to be like [this]. I've learned a lot. I think I'm definitely in a much stronger position. I'm a much stronger driver than I was. If I'm the person that I am today thanks to the experience that I've had there, I've grown up a lot – whether it was on track or off the track – and, if you asked me, I wouldn't change it for anything."
"I'm grateful for the journey with Red Bull" - Pierre Gasly
The French driver felt he was maturing well and improving with each race. At 26, Gasly admitted that some things could have been better during his stint with the senior team, but he hopes to put that in the past and look to the future. He said,
"I'm 26 now. I'm every year getting better – I'm like a good red wine! I don't know when this is going to stop, but I just know personally [that] I just keep getting better and I know the best is yet to come. I'm really grateful for what's happened. [It] could have been different but, at the end of the day, it's just happened the way it [has] and there have been a lot of lessons learned from that."
Gasly will be teaming up with Esteban Ocon at Alpine next season as the French team fields an All-French driver lineup.
