Pierre Gasly isn't publicly showing signs of disappointment after his demotion to Toro Rosso ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
Despite constant reassurances over his Red Bull seat, the decision was taken to replace him with Alex Albon for the rest of 2019 during the summer break, starting this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps.
In his first preview back at the junior team, however, Gasly signalled at a reset of his year in an environment he knows well.
"The summer break is over and I am back with my Italian family for the rest of the season and I’m happy to be working with Toro Rosso again," he said.
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"I’ve had a couple of weeks to rest and train to get ready for the nine upcoming races so I can give my best performance for the team. It was nice to have that time off to reflect on the first half of the season, but now I’m fully focused on the rest of the season and ready to get going again.
"We have been busy with preparations for the rest of the season this week, I went to the factory to meet with my engineers and have my seat fit, trying to be as prepared as possible for the weekend."
Like many drivers, Gasly is a big fan of the Belgian GP and hopes to help Toro Rosso consolidate fifth place in the Constructors' standings.
"It’s going to be great racing again after the break, especially on my favourite track of the season at Spa. It’s a track I really enjoy and have had great races there in the past," the 23-year-old stated.
"I had my first win in single-seaters there in Formula 4 and I also won the Feature Race in GP2 back in 2016.
"Now the main focus is on extracting the maximum of the car until the end of the season with Toro Rosso. I’ll do my best to bring as many points as I can for the team to help defend our position in the Constructors’ Championship.”
