Pierre Gasly: ​​“Better prepared than last year”

2019 will have been a very special year for Pierre Gasly. Bombed holder at Red Bull Racing to support Max Verstappen, the Norman will finally have been demoted to Toro Rosso from the start of the school year in Belgium to get a second wind and end the year with a bang, including a second place in Brazil.

Under the new name Alpha tauri, who presented their 2020 colors last night, the 2 GP2016 Series champion says he is going to the start of this season with more confidence than in previous years, due to several factors.

“This will only be my third season in Formula 1, admits Gasly. I feel better prepared than last year because I have a little more experience. Towards the end of the year, with the people on the team, we really understood what we needed together and how to get the most out of our package.

We have to keep attacking and it will be important to show consistency in scoring points throughout the season. We must seize every opportunity, as we did last year.

I think the way the team developed the car has improved a lot, even between 2018 and 2019. The working methods and the way we approached the race weekend was clearly a step forward and this It was a real pleasure to work with them.

We are all on track for 2020, but we have to wait and see how the pre-season testing goes. That said, last year's performance was largely due to the way we worked, so I think we can continue this momentum. »

A harvest of points resulting from a constant evolution of the performances of Toro Rosso but also of the engine block Honda very lively in the Italian single-seaters, as in those of its big sister Red Bull Racing.

“This proves that all their hard work over the past few years has paid off, analyzes Gasly. For me, to get this podium with them, as a mid-grid team, shows that Honda really helped us seize these opportunities.

They have continued to work very hard, to bring us even more power, so it is very promising. It's great to work with them and we share the same goals with everyone by giving our best. »

Honda praises partnership with Red Bull family

Milton Keynes’ bet after several “I love you, me neither” campaigns with Renault, the choice to turn to Honda seems to be paying off for all the teams under the Red Bull flag. The Japanese clan believes that the synergies deployed with all the technical teams played a major role in the revival of the Japanese engine.

“These results came thanks to improvements on the chassis, aero and Power Unit side, notes Toyoharu Tanabe, technical director of Honda, when talking about Toro Rosso / Alpha Tauri. But it also owes a lot to the excellent working relationship, where every problem was a learning opportunity and every success was shared between us all.

Providing two teams last year, both part of the same family, linked by Red Bull Technology, allowed us to accelerate our development and this is something that will continue this season. »