Pierre Gasly has had a roller coaster of a year in 2019, with a promotion to Red Bull followed by his demotion to Toro Rosso. The Frenchman even compared his 2019 season to a “Hollywood movie”, owing to the numerous highs and lows.

2018 was a breakthrough year with impressive performances with Toro Rosso, and when Daniel Ricciardo left for Renault, Gasly was drafted in. Unfortunately, he endured a less-than-stellar run and struggled to keep up with star driver Max Verstappen.

In spite of assurances that he would stay until the end of the season, Red Bull went back on their word and he was dumped back at Toro Rosso after the summer break.

How Pierre Gasly got his revenge on Red Bull for dropping him

Admittedly, the Frenchman was disappointed to lose out on racing for a top team like Red Bull, but there were a few surprises in store. Both he and fellow Red Bull reject, Daniil Kvyat showed Red Bull what they were missing out on when they took podiums in Brazil and Germany respectively.

However, fate can be cruel as it is kind, as Gasly had to deal with the death of close friend Anthoine Hubert during the Belgian GP. Speaking to Autosport, Gasly confessed that his year was like a Hollywood movie, complete with twists and turns, highs and lows.

He mused, “I would not even imagine it’s real, like all the stuff that happened, how it started, when it started, and the things that happened during the first six months.”

The 23-year old admitted that his lowest moment was not losing his Red Bull seat, but Hubert’s passing at Spa in a horrific crash. On the other end of the scale, his maiden podium at Interlagos was the highlight.

Keeping it real

However, Gasly dismissed suggestions that his Brazilian GP podium silenced his doubters and refused to give in to complacence. Though he did say that it was a nice reward after all the difficult times, and he will build on this podium and continue to improve himself.