Amid Albon Hype, Pierre Gasly Finds Support After Ouster

When Red Bull announced that Alex Albon would be moving to the team, Pierre Gasly was sent back to Toro Rosso. So, while everyone was congratulating the Thai driver, some spared a thought for poor old Pierre Gasly. The French driver was promoted to Red Bull at the start of the 2019 season, but has failed to keep up with teammate Max Verstappen.

As a result, an impatient Red Bull performed a swap with Albon, sending Gasly to Toro Rosso. In the wake of the switch, former F1 driver, Giedo van der Garde lent his support behind Pierre Gasly.

On social median he wrote, “Back in 2013 my results halfway at Caterham F1 weren’t as I expected. Neither what the team expected. It was my first year in Formula One, and soon I realized how everything happened in a blink of a second. One race a crash, the other one mechanical issues and before you know it you’re under a level of pressure you’ve never experienced.”

“It’s only the first year, keep calm, you’ve showed it in GP2, the coin will flip your side again” is what I kept telling myself. Then the phone rang. It was my team boss, who I always had a good relationship with. “Listen mate, screw up the next race and you’re out.” Silence. End of conversation.”

“I didn’t panic though, but turned the pressure into motivation. Next race was Spa, where I ended up in Q2, and got hugged by the team boss again. That’s F1 too. Long story short; I feel for Pierre. But never give up mate, get your confidence back and the flow you were in last year and I’m sure you can prove everyone wrong. Give ‘m hell.”

However, it is worth noting that Albon’s appointment is not permanent as Red Bull will be assessing his performance until the end of the season. Only then will they take a call on what to do for the 2020 Formula One season. At the same time, the swap could be beneficial for Gasly as he can hone his skills at his own pace without the pressure of being in a front-running team.