Gasly Not Afraid of Facing Verstappen

Red Bull Racing’s new recruit Pierre Gasly has no inhibitions about measuring up against team mate Max Verstappen next season.

The Frenchman’s solid maiden year in F1 with Toro Rosso earned him a promotion to Red Bull’s senior outfit.

Gasly is still in learning mode but the 22-year-old driver says he won’t fear the fast and furious young man that will be sitting on the other side of the garage in 2019.

“I’m not afraid, it’s up to me to make a place for myself in the team,” Gasly told France’s Infosport+.

“Max is obviously a strong personality, he’s well established in the team and has more experience than me.

“He’s got more experience with the team. He is who he is, and it will be up to me make my place. I’m not like Daniel (Ricciardo), I’m someone different. I’m not like Max. I’ve got my own personality.”

Gasly got acquainted with his new team at last week’s post-season test in Abu Dhabi, and is raring to go.

“I’m excited, and I can’t wait for the season to get underway!” he admitted.

“For me, it’s obviously a big step in my career, but it’s also exactly where I want to be. My ambitions in Formula 1 are definitely very high, and since I was a child my only dream is to one day win the world championship.

“It’s just the start of my career, I’ll need to continue to make progress, to develop and gain experience.

“Next year will only be my second season of Formula 1, and while I learned a lot this year I must continue to learn next season.”

Gasly, whose best result to date in F1 is a fourth-place finish achieved in Bahrain earlier this year, relishes the opportunity to showcase his skills behind the wheel of a competitive car.

“It’s really a great challenge. They (Red Bull Racing) were four times world champions with Sebastian Vettel. I’ll continue to improve and do my best, and we’ll see what will be possible next year.

“But it’s definitely a step closer to my ultimate target: winning the F1 world championship!”