Gasly: Mojo is good, and there is more to come

Michelle Foster
Pierre Gasly trophy. Italy September 2021

Pierre Gasly holds his trophy while pointing a finger towards his team. Italy September 2021

Returning to the scene on his maiden F1 victory, and on the back of a new AlphaTauri deal, Pierre Gasly feels his “mojo is good”.

AlphaTauri confirmed earlier week that Gasly would continue with the team into next year’s championship, the Frenchman retained alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

Gasly’s confirmation came as no surprise, not only because his Red Bull contract runs to the end of 2023, but because he’s been one of the stars over the course of the past two seasons.

Last year the Frenchman bagged his maiden Formula 1 victory, P1 at the Italian Grand Prix, an impressive feat given that the Faenza team had only once before won a race, the 2008 Italian GP with Sebastian Vettel.

This season the 25-year-old has already been on the podium once, P3 in Azerbaijan, while last time out in Zandvoort he just missed out in fourth place.

“I’m obviously happy after the announcement, I feel very comfortable in the team, things are going well, and I think there’s definitely more to come for us,” he said.

“I can’t wait to get out on track in Monza, because I feel the mojo is good within the team and the car seems to be working well at all kinds of track, in the wet or the dry.

“To have finished fifth, sixth and fourth in the last three races is proof of that.

“Zandvoort was an amazing weekend with everything going in the right direction from Friday onwards.

“I’ll admit on Sunday, I was hoping something might happen with the leading three and I might get to taste some of that podium champagne again, after my third place in Baku earlier in the season, but it didn’t happen.”

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This weekend’s Italian Grand Prix will play host to Formula 1’s second Sprint Qualifying trial with Gasly looking forward to adding “another dimension” to the race weekend.

“After coming fourth on Sunday, expectations are high now for Monza,” he said. “After the French Grand Prix this is very much a second home race for me now, because I live just 15 kilometres from the track.

“The weekend will be something new for me, returning to a race circuit where I was the last person to win the grand prix.

“I’m very keen to be there and there should be plenty of tifosi, unlike last year, which felt very strange as the fans are so much part of the Monza atmosphere – that and the high speeds.
“It will be something quite special, reminding me of some really unforgettable moments from last season.

“I hope we can get another great result again this time, but we have to consider that we will be tackling the Sprint Qualifying format for the second time.

“After Silverstone, we have a better idea of what to expect, but with the usual slipstreaming battle in qualifying and the race, it will add another dimension.”

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