F1
Gasly in heaven after his podium: “I will never forget this moment”
He can't believe it, and frankly, he's not the only one. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso) finished the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix in second place, and it's not a dream!
Qualified sixth, the Frenchman led his boat quietly during most of the event. Without making any waves, the 2 GP2016 Series champion maintained his sixth place course, then to seventh when Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) overwhelmed him without firing a shot.
The Norman was therefore well on his way to finishing “best of the rest” at Interlagos, before tempers flared in the final rush of the event. First of all, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) retired due to mechanical damage on the 52nd lap. Hop, sixth.
Then, he gained two ranks on the 66th passage thanks to the clash between Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and Charles Leclerc. Hop, fourth!
Furthermore, the intervention of the Safety Car caused an unscheduled pit stop for Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). “Thank you very much,” the Habs must have said to themselves, because they briefly took third place on the podium.
Briefly therefore, because the Briton regained the advantage as soon as the green flag came out. At that moment, the outcome was still more than positive, with most certainly a finish at the foot of the box.
However, the Frenchman climbed to second place for free after the overly optimistic attack of the Mercedes on the Red Bull from Alex Albon ! With only one lap to go, all hopes were high, and the Rouennais' defense would make French viewers jump until the end:
Second on the line, ahead of a six-time world champion, Pierre Gasly literally exulted with joy. The microphone on his headset is saturated!
Questioned by Rubens Barrichello in the parc ferme, Pierre Gasly had difficulty regaining his senses. “I will never forget this moment, that’s for sure. It's so special! I don't know what else to say.
It's so moving! Especially with the guys on the team Toro Rosso, they have given me a fantastic car since I came back to them. What an awesome day! That's what I love about motorsport: the battles, the emotions.
I continued to attack until the end. I saw that they (Hamilton and Bottas) were fighting in front of me. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, I took it. I wanted to keep second place, km/h after km/h. »
Pierre Gasly is congratulated by his former teammate Max Verstappen : « Pierre has come a long way and I'm happy for him. He's a good guy and he deserved it. »
His ex-boss Christian Horner, never stingy with sweet words, was this time enchanted by the Frenchman: “Pierre had a difficult start to the season but he continued to work hard and he is very comfortable in Toro Rosso. This podium is very important for him, It’s a great reward for his efforts. »
At the head of Toro Rosso, Franz Tost was right to keep faith in his former and current driver. “It’s not just today. Pierre was competitive all weekend. He was very smart in the race. We made the right choice of tires.
He completely deserves this result. He offered an exceptional level. Now we want more podiums. We've had inconsistent results this year but this one is really good. »
This is France's best result in F1 since Romain Grosjean's second place in his Lotus at the United States Grand Prix in 2013.
Find the analysis of the Brazilian GP by our special correspondents in issue 2244 of AUTOhebdo, available Monday evening in digital version and Wednesday on newsstands.
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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