76 GP RACING APRIL 2020
embraced parenthood, and gaveevery impression of being a
well-roundedhumanbeing at peace with his surroundings
- which is a commodity rarer in the F1 paddock than many
would suspect. Counterintuitively, being a known quantity
(and well-likedwithin Red Bull’s garage and engineering
set-up) perhaps
counted against him:
the team was keen
to understand all its
options ahead of 2020.
If he’s still bitter, it
doesn’t show, andhis
comments now reflect
a very strictfocus on
working with the team
he has, rather than
dreaming about the
team he might like.
“2019 was a good year for me, withten top-10 finishes
and that podium in Hockenheim – but I wouldn’t say I’ve
set myself any specific targets for thisyear,” he says. “I want
to keep doing what I was doing because I think you can
always improve yourself. So, I’ll keep working on that – my
personal improvement as a driver – and try to get as many
good finishesfor the team to helpsecure a good position in
the championship. Can we finish higher than last year? In
terms of results, with a tight midfield battle it’s impossible to
predict, because things
are so competitive so
I would really struggle
to say exactlywhere
we’ll be. But I’m sure
we’ll be fighting in a
very tight group.”
While Kvyat has
been in this position
for a while, for Gasly
the experience is still
fresh. He bounced
back better than
Kvyat managed in 2016, and looked a better, more capable
driver once restored to the Italian team, even before the
enormous fillip of a career-best finish on the podium in Brazil.
Back in September Gasly trod a fine line, expressing his
disappointment and surprise at being shown the door when
he believed he had moretime – but equally not throwing
himself under the bus by criticisingthe organisation.
“I’m sensible to allthe chances they’ve given me in my
career,” he wryly said at the time. “There were things I
could have could havedone better, and I take part of the
responsibility for the lack of pace and points we had – but I
think we are all responsible for this lack ofperformance as
well. In the end there were some valuable lessons learned, and
right now I need to move on and focus on what I can change.”
Fast forward six months and it’s a more sanguine Gasly
stepping into the AlphaTauri. “I feel better prepared than
last year, as I have a bit more experience,” he says. “The way
things went last year gave me a good understanding ofwhat is
needed to get the jobdone.”
The team finished sixth last year. That will be hardto
follow, but both Red Bull teams have been adamant the Honda
engine has taken a significant step over the winter. A good
showing in the midfield – and occasionally putting one across
on the senior team’s rivals, is Kvyat and Gasly’s best chance
to impress the Red Bull hierarchy. It is also their best hope of
completing their similar journeys of redemeption.
“CAN WE FINISH HIGHER THAN LAST
YEAR? IN TERMS OF RESULTS, WITH A
TIGHT MIDFIELD BATTLE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
TO PREDICT, BECAUSE THINGS ARE
SO COMPETITIVE SO I WOULD REALLY
STRUGGLE TO SAY EXACTLY WHERE WE’LL
BE. BUT I’M SURE WE’LL BE FIGHTING INA
VERY TIGHT GROUP”DANIIL KVYAT
AlphaTauriand
RedBullha ve
beenencouraged
byHonda’s
progress
76 GP RACING APRIL 2020
embraced parenthood, and gaveevery impression of being a
well-roundedhumanbeing at peace with his surroundings
- which is a commodity rarer in the F1 paddock than many
would suspect. Counterintuitively, being a known quantity
(and well-likedwithin Red Bull’s garage and engineering
set-up) perhaps
counted against him:
the team was keen
to understand all its
options ahead of 2020.
If he’s still bitter, it
doesn’t show, andhis
comments now reflect
a very strictfocus on
working with the team
he has, rather than
dreaming about the
team he might like.
“2019 was a good year for me, withten top-10 finishes
and that podium in Hockenheim – but I wouldn’t say I’ve
set myself any specific targets for thisyear,” he says. “I want
to keep doing what I was doing because I think you can
always improve yourself. So, I’ll keep working on that – my
personal improvement as a driver – and try to get as many
good finishesfor the team to helpsecure a good position in
the championship. Can we finish higher than last year? In
terms of results, with a tight midfield battle it’s impossible to
predict, because things
are so competitive so
I would really struggle
to say exactlywhere
we’ll be. But I’m sure
we’ll be fighting in a
very tight group.”
While Kvyat has
been in this position
for a while, for Gasly
the experience is still
fresh. He bounced
back better than
Kvyat managed in 2016, and looked a better, more capable
driver once restored to the Italian team, even before the
enormous fillip of a career-best finish on the podium in Brazil.
Back in September Gasly trod a fine line, expressing his
disappointment and surprise at being shown the door when
he believed he had moretime – but equally not throwing
himself under the bus by criticisingthe organisation.
“I’m sensible to allthe chances they’ve given me in my
career,” he wryly said at the time. “There were things I
could have could havedone better, and I take part of the
responsibility for the lack of pace and points we had – but I
think we are all responsible for this lack ofperformance as
well. In the end there were some valuable lessons learned, and
right now I need to move on and focus on what I can change.”
Fast forward six months and it’s a more sanguine Gasly
stepping into the AlphaTauri. “I feel better prepared than
last year, as I have a bit more experience,” he says. “The way
things went last year gave me a good understanding ofwhat is
needed to get the jobdone.”
The team finished sixth last year. That will be hardto
follow, but both Red Bull teams have been adamant the Honda
engine has taken a significant step over the winter. A good
showing in the midfield – and occasionally putting one across
on the senior team’s rivals, is Kvyat and Gasly’s best chance
to impress the Red Bull hierarchy. It is also their best hope of
completing their similar journeys of redemeption.
“CAN WE FINISH HIGHER THAN LAST
YEAR? IN TERMS OF RESULTS, WITH A
TIGHT MIDFIELD BATTLE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE
TO PREDICT, BECAUSE THINGS ARE
SO COMPETITIVE SO I WOULD REALLY
STRUGGLE TO SAY EXACTLY WHERE WE’LL
BE. BUT I’M SURE WE’LL BE FIGHTING INA
VERY TIGHT GROUP”DANIIL KVYAT
AlphaTauriand
RedBullha ve
beenencouraged
byHonda’s
progress
