Former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly has finally opened up on his painful exit from the team in 2019. The Frenchman said that he was never really supported nor given the tools to succeed at the team.
Gasly started his Formula 1 career in fine fashion with Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2018. He was soon promoted to the senior Red Bull team soon afterwards.
Gasly believes the turning point with respect to how the team viewed him was his crash in pre-season testing at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya. He said that he failed to win back their trust since that point.
He was soon sent back to Toro Rosso midway through the season and despite performing well for AlphaTauri the following year, he was never under consideration for a move back to Red Bull.
Gasly said moving to Red Bull was like realising a dream.
“I wish I could tell you it was exactly what I thought it would be — what I wanted it to be. But it wasn’t. It just wasn’t,” he said.
“From the moment I made my first mistake in a car, I felt like people there slowly began to turn on me. I’d had a crash in winter testing, and from that moment on the season never really got going.
“Then I had a tough first two races with Red Bull and the media just ate me up. Anything I said in the press was twisted into an excuse for my form, and nobody really stuck up for me.”
The Frenchman spoke about how the car at his disposal was not ideal and this contributed to his struggles.
“The car wasn’t perfect, and I was doing my best to try to improve and learn each week, but like … here’s what I’ll say about it: It was a difficult time for me at Red Bull.
“I didn’t feel like I was really supported and treated the same way as others there have been.
“And for me … that’s something that I just can’t accept. I was working my ass off every day, trying to get results for the team, but I was not being given all the tools I needed to succeed.
“I would try to offer solutions, but my voice wasn’t heard, or it would take weeks to see changes. For whatever reason, I was never going to be a fit in that seat — it was just never going to work.
“I’m not the type of person to start stuff in the media, because I am truly grateful to Red Bull for the chance, as well as for everything they’ve done for me in my career. I really am. But I’m allowed to tell my truth. So, that’s it. That’s the truth.”
Gasly said that he tried to reach out to Red Bull team boss Christian Horner for help and areas where he could improve, but he was instead told that the team was looking to demote him.
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