Gasly Caught in Awkward Situation During Red Bull Call

Future Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly confessed that when he got the news, he was in an awkward position. The Frenchman has got promoted from Toro Rosso as replacement for Daniel Ricciardo, following the Australian’s shock switch to Renault for 2019.

Gasly headed into the summer break knowing he was under consideration for the seat. However, he was caught by surprise when Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko informed him about the team’s plans.

“When Helmut started the call with me I was in my underwear,” said Gasly.

“When the call ended I ran around the house shouting to my mates and they all jumped in the pool straight away!

“There was so much excitement and I was so happy about it because it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time. Of course when I came in to the Red Bull Junior programme that was the target, to drive in Formula 1 for this team, so I was just so so happy and had so much excitement.”

Gasly faces a challenge called Max Verstappen in 2019, but isn’t fazed by the Dutchman.

“Being teammates and mates with Max next season is really cool, because we get on really well and we’ve known each other for a really long time,” he said.

“We used to race against each other in karting in 2010 as a junior, so we’ve already raced together, but not for the same team. We’ve actually had a couple of close battles, sometimes good for me, sometimes not so good, but we really enjoyed that time.

“We really respect each other a lot as drivers, but also as friends, so I’m really excited to join him in the team with him. As we have a strong friendship it will be only a positive for the team.”

Red Bull are aware that Gasly does not have a full year’s race experience under his belt. However, they expect him to prove his mettle by the middle of next year.

Marko said: “Pierre is in his second year in F1, so he is missing some experience. But his pure speed, especially in qualifying, is very close to Max.

“That is one of his strengths. We expect him to be an appropriate replacement for Ricciardo by the middle of the season [2019].”