Gasly: Seb won and got promoted, why not me?
After replicating Sebastian Vettel’s achievement of winning with the Red Bull second team, Pierre Gasly can’t understand why he didn’t get the same promotion.
Back in 2008 Vettel truly put his name on the map with a sensational victory at a damp Monza with the Toro Rosso team.
That remained their only win in Formula 1 until Gasly repeated the achievement at the 2020 Italian Grand Prix for the team now known as AlphaTauri.
In Vettel’s case he was promoted to the Red Bull team for 2009, so after repeating the German’s achievement, Gasly is “surprised” that Red Bull ruled him out of contention for a 2021 drive and will instead keep him at AlphaTauri.
“I’m not disappointed, I’m just surprised,” he told reporters ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
“In 14 years Seb won a race with Toro Rosso, I’m the only other driver who won a race. Seb got promoted to Red Bull and won four titles with the team. So I must say I’m just surprised I wasn’t really considered.
“I had two podiums with Toro Rosso, I think this season is going alright. On my side the only thing I can do is try to put some strong performances to give me opportunities in the future. That’s the only thing I can do after everything is sorted.
“I don’t really want to think about this any more. I need to perform as much as I can for AlphaTauri. I’m happy to be here and just focussed on this weekend, trying to get the best result I can for the team.”
We feel a bit out of sorts with this two day race weekend! @kvyatofficial and @PierreGASLY look ahead to #ImolaGP, a track just 15 minutes down the road from our factory in Faenza 🇮🇹#AlphaTauri #F1 pic.twitter.com/RCERS6VEi2
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) October 30, 2020
Get your hands on the official AlphaTauri 2020 collection via the Formula 1 store
Gasly confirmed that he had known that he would be kept at AlphaTauri for a while despite the public announcement only being made recently.
“They have their strategy, it’s down to the them, I think if you want a better answer it’s better to ask them straight away,” he explained.
“On my side I think it’s been made clear to me I will continue already since quite a while with this team and as I say I’m not disappointed.
“I’m performing at a great level, I’m able to show my potential, I’m able to show my speed, my skills. As I say I’m 24 years old, obviously my goal in Formula 1 is to fight at the top and fight for the championship.
“But at the moment I just need to perform and do the best job I can in the team I am. I’m not disappointed, I’m really happy to continue with AlphaTauri for another year and I’ll keep doing my best for this team.”
Follow us on Twitter @Planet_F1, like our Facebook page and join us on Instagram!
