Redemption for Pierre Gasly
It has been three days since the Monza GP got over. We have another race coming up in Mugello this week and yet everyone is still talking about the Italian GP and its winner Pierre Gasly.
What a roller coaster ride Pierre Gasly has had in the last 18 months.
Pierre has been a part of the Red Bull junior team since 2014. He has won the GP2 championship in 2016. Antonio Giovinazzi was his team mate then and also his biggest competitor. Pierre didn’t get an F1 seat immediately but had to go to Super Formula Championship where he was the runner-up. So he had the achievements to back him up.
In 2017 he finally gets a call from the Red Bull B-team Toro Rosso, replacing Daniil Kvyat but it was on and off.
In 2018 Pierre was finally a full time driver for Toro Rosso along with Brendon Hartley. He was impressive in his first year in F1, with his best performance in Bahrain where he finished 4th.
Daniel Ricciardo’s shock retirement from the RedBull team suddenly left a seat empty at the top team and Red Bull decided to put Gasly there after just one year in Formula One.
Nightmare in Red Bull
Pierre’s stint at RedBull was nothing less than a nightmare. Pitted against an insanely talented and formidable team-mate Max Verstappen, Pierre seemed out of water. He was out qualified by Max in every race. At the Austrian GP he got lapped by his team mate. He seemed out of place but the Red Bull leadership – Christian Horner and Helmut Marko – showed faith in him and stating publicly that they will give to the young lad, at least for a year.
Except that it was not true.
During the summer break, it was announced out of nowhere that Pierre Gasly will be ‘demoted’ mid-season, back to Toro Rosso. He was to be replaced by the Thai driver Alex Albon. It was a very public humiliation, to be swapped mid-season. Pierre was visibly shaken. He told media that he was unaware of the decision before being made public, and was very surprised by it.
To add salt to the wound, Pierre lost his best friend Anthoine Hubert in a race crash at Spa where was to race after his demotion. Still he had no option but to put his head down, believe in himself, focus on his craft and prove the naysayers wrong.
Which is exactly what he did.
Pierre got in his grooves immediately after coming back to Toro Rosso. He was comfortable with the team, a team that believed in him and trusted him completely. He started punching above his weight and performed better than his teammate Daniil Kvyat.
Podium in Brazil
The high point came in Brazil 2019 when against all odds he came second in a rain marred race. His emotions after the finish was a sight to behold. It was his redemption, showing the world and especially the RedBull leadership that he has it in him to be a top driver. He didn’t get a podium in Red Bull but snatched one in their b-team Toro Rosso.
Pierre’s good form continued in the disrupted and shortened 2020 season. He regularly qualified in top 10 and finished the race in points. He is doing much better than his team mate. Pierre looks happy and comfortable at this juncture.
The peak came in Monza where he took the top position. Yes luck was on his side, there were many things that had to go his way to make it happen. But it cannot be discounted that he drove brilliantly in the equipment he has been handed over. He kept a charging Sainz behind him for more than 25 laps, absorbed all the pressure of leading the race and made no mistakes. He thoroughly deserved the victory.
A good, kind and talented young lad. Promoted to the top team. Then demoted and humiliated publicly. Then he redeems himself with a podium finish and a race win. A classic underdog story.
This is what makes sports so alluring.
This is what makes us fall in love with F1, all over again 🙂