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Pierre Gasly feels the mindset he has for Alpine is “completely different” to when he was at Red Bull and AlphaTauri, thanks to lessons he’s learned, which will help him succeed.
Frenchman Pierre Gasly left the Red Bull family at the end of the 2022 season. After debuting in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso in 2017, Gasly moved up from Red Bull’s sister team to actually racing for Red Bull in 2019.
However, his stint in the Red Bull didn’t last long as 12 races after his promotion, Gasly returned to Toro Rosso. Alex Albon, who now races for Williams, took Gasly’s place alongside Max Verstappen.
Gasly was then racing for AlphaTauri and continued racing for the team until the end of the 2022 season. A seat at the French team BWT Alpine became available after Fernando Alonso announced he would be joining Aston Martin. Oscar Piastri was the most logical choice for Alpine, but the Australian decided to join McLaren.
Consequently, Alpine looked elsewhere and Gasly has now joined the team, making it an all-French line-up for 2023. After having an unfortunate stint at Red Bull, Gasly feels he has learnt a lot from his time there.
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Gasly has spoken about how his run at Red Bull will help him at Alpine and ensure that it’s a successful season.
“I have no doubt” 2023 will be successful
Gasly spoke to Motorsport.com and reflected on his time at Red Bull and how he’s changed. The Frenchman said:
“It feels like it was an eternity ago that I was with Red Bull, and since then, so much has happened, professionally and personally.”
He continued saying that he feels he’s “developed in all areas.” One thing he noted was “now the feeling, [his] approach and mindset that [he has] going into Alpine, is completely different”. Gasly said:
“I have a lot clearer ideas. I think it’s more like clarity in my mind on what’s needed to perform, and what’s needed to be competitive.”
In his time at AlphaTauri, whilst there were many struggles, Gasly did have some high moments. In 2020, Gasly won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
In the interview, Gasly said he wants to use the experience from his time in the Red Bull family. He said:
“[I want to] mainly use that experience that I’ve gathered with AlphaTauri, in good and bad times, and gathered the experience that I learned in Red Bull to make the best out of this opportunity with Alpine.
“I’m a lot more confident that this is going to be very successful, I have no doubt about it.”
An “open mind” is key
Heading into the 2023 season, Gasly has said he will be going to Alpine with an “open mind”. Having spent many years at AlphaTauri and as part of the Red Bull family, Gasly is certain that he can “adapt quickly” to Alpine’s operations.
He said: “I’ve done it in the past. I just need to be aware that things might be very different. It might not be. It might feel quite natural straight away; It might not feel natural straightaway.
“But it’s very important to come with an open mind.”
Gasly drove for Alpine in the post-season tests at Abu Dhabi in November 2022. Pre-season testing for the upcoming season begins next month in February as well as the car launches.
The 2023 season begins on March 5th, where we will see all 20 drivers take to the grid.
Headline Image: Twitter @AlpineF1Team
